Cooking appliance

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a cooking appliance. The cooking appliance includes a housing having an open upper surface and an open front surface, a door swiveling around the rear side and opening and closing the upper surface and the front surface, and a gasket part being disposed between the door and the housing and sealing a gap between the door and the housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2021-0077694, filed on 2021 Jun. 15, the disclosureof which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Disclosed herein is a cooking appliance.

BACKGROUND

Cooking appliances are installed in the kitchen and cook food as a userintends. The cooking appliances can fall into different categories,based on a heat source or a type, and the sort of fuel.

Additionally, the cooking appliances can be categorized into an opencooking appliance in which food is placed in an open space, and a sealedcooking appliance in which food is placed in a closed space, based on away of cooking food. The sealed cooking appliance includes an oven, amicrowave oven and the like, and the open cooking appliance includes acooktop, a hob, and the like.

In the sealed cooking appliance, a space, in which food is placed, isshielded, and the shielded space is heated to cook food. The sealedcooking appliance is provided with a cooking space in which food isplaced and which is shielded when the food is cooked. In the cookingspace, food is actually cooked.

The sealed cooking appliances are broadly classified into gas ovens andelectric ovens according to the type of heat source. The gas ovens usegas as a fuel and cook food using flames generated as gas is supplied toa plurality of burners, and the burners are ignited, which burns thesupplied gas. Unlike the gas ovens, the electric ovens use electricityas a heat source and cook food using heat emitted from a plurality ofheaters, which are heated by the electricity.

Of the gas ovens and the electric ovens, the use of the electric ovenshas increased due to a faster cooking speed, higher thermal efficiency,and better stability when compared with the gas ovens. Also, reducingthe size of the electric ovens is easier than reducing the size of thegas ovens. Accordingly, the electric ovens in the form of mini ovenshaving a small size (hereinafter referred to as “mini ovens”) have alsobeen launched.

The mini ovens have a small size, and thus are not suitable for cookingfood of a large size but are suitable for baking or warming a smallamount of food which does not require the use of large-capacity ovens.

Particularly, the mini ovens have advantages of being convenientlyusable in toasting bread. In addition, the mini oven are usable incooking a small amount of food or food having a small size. Accordingly,the use of the mini ovens as cooking appliances for replacingconventional toasters has increased.

In general, the mini oven includes an outer case for housing all itscomponents, a plurality of shelves for placing food during cooking, anda cooking space having an open front surface through which food may beplaced in the cooking space and cooked.

Also, the mini oven includes an oven heater for heating food to anappropriate temperature, and a door for opening and closing the cookingspace.

The door is provided so that, while food is placed in the cooking spaceand cooked, the inside of the cooking space is closed from the outsideenvironment and sealed. The door may include a handle for easily openingand closing the door and a glass window for viewing the inside of thecooking space without opening the door.

In the mini oven, the door is mostly provided as a downward openingtype. That is, the door of the mini oven may have a lower end portionrotatably coupled to the outer case through a door hinge. The door opensthe cooking space by rotating downward about the lower end portionrotatably coupled to the outer case and closes the cooking space byrotating upward when the cooking space is open.

The door may open the cooking space by rotating at an angle of about 90°when the cooking space is closed, and the shelves may be withdrawn orinserted while the cooking space is opened by the door.

That is, the door is opened in a state of being substantially parallelto the shelves inserted into the mini oven, and the withdrawal andinsertion of the shelves are directly performed by the user.

However, the mini oven having the above configuration has the followingdisadvantages.

First, there is a problem in that, when the door is opened, the doorinevitably protrudes from the front of the mini oven by as much as aheight of the door. Thus, the opening of the door and the withdrawal andinsertion of the shelves are difficult when the mini oven is installedin a narrow space.

Second, there is a problem in that, when the door is opened, the doorprotrudes from the front of the mini oven by as much as the height ofthe door, and the center of gravity of the mini oven is biased towardthe front.

Due to the characteristics of the mini oven being lightweight as well ashaving a small size, the center of gravity of the mini oven isinevitably biased toward the front when the door opens forward from themini oven. In this case, there is an increased risk that the mini ovenmay fall over.

Particularly, when the shelves are withdrawn, the shelves are oftenplaced on the door for checking a cooking state or temporarily placingthe shelves. In such a structure in which the center of gravity of themini oven is biased toward the front, the risk of the mini oven'sfalling over is inevitably increased.

Furthermore, the risk is greater when the weight of the shelves or foodsplaced on the shelves are heavy. This not only adds risks to the cookingof heavyweight foods but also causes an increase in the weight of theshelves. That is, even when it is necessary to adopt shelves formed of athick, heavy material to improve the cooking performance, adopting suchshelves becomes difficult due to the risk of the mini oven's fallingover.

Third, various limitations occur because a passage for the withdrawaland insertion of the shelves and a passage for checking the cookingstate are limited to the front side of the mini oven.

That is, since the directions of the withdrawal and insertion of theshelves are limited to a front-rear direction, inconvenience occursduring the withdrawal and insertion of the shelves when the mini oven isinstalled at a low place. Since the passage for checking the cookingstate is limited to the glass window provided in the door, there isconsiderable inconvenience in checking the cooking state when the minioven is installed at a low place.

Generally, for properly checking the cooking state of the entire food,opening the door is not enough, and the withdrawal of the tray shouldnecessarily be performed.

That is, when the user wants to properly check the cooking state of theentire food, the user should open the door and then withdraw the shelfcontaining the entire food. However, when the mini oven is installed ata low place, it is very inconvenient to perform such tasks. Also thepossibility that the user will be exposed to the risk of injuries suchas burns when the user withdraws and inserts the shelf is alsoincreased.

Fourth, the user directly pushes a shelf into a cooking space and pullsthe shelf out of the cooking space to insert and withdraw the shelf,increasing inconvenience and the risk of an accident.

There are times when the user directly checks a state of a food itembeing cooked by withdrawing the shelf during a cooking procedure. Inthis case, the user opens the door and then holds and withdraws theshelf. Additionally, when the cooking procedure starts again, the userdirectly holds and pushes the shelf into the cooking space.

That is, the user opens the door, and withdraws and inserts the shelfdirectly to check a state of a food item being cooked, causinginconvenience and increasing the risk of injury such as burns and thelike.

In the procedure, the center of gravity of a mini oven shifts to afront, and the mini oven is highly likely to fall over, posing a threatto the safety of the user.

A heating and cooking appliance is disclosed in JP Patent No. 6289602 asa related art. The heating and cooking appliance includes a cookingplate that comes in and out of a cooking space in association with theopening and closing of the door.

In the configuration according to document 1, a cooking space isprovided with a pair of sliding rails (herein after “first slidingrail”), and a door is provided with a pair of sliding rails (hereinafter“second sliding rail”) that are detachably coupled to the sliding railsinstalled in the cooking space.

The second sliding rail is coupled to the first sliding rail in aslidable manner, and accordingly, the door opens and closes the cookingspace while sliding in a front-rear direction.

The pair of second sliding rails is provided with a supporting member,and a cooking plate is hung from above at an upper end of the supportingmember and supported by the supporting member. That is, the cookingplate is supported by the second sliding rails, using the supportingmember and the second sliding rails are supported by the first slidingrails.

With the structure, the cooking plate moves in the front-rear directionalong the door moving in the front-rear direction. That is, the cookingplate comes in and out of the coking space while moving in thefront-rear direction in association with the door's front-rear movementto open and close the cooking space.

In the heating and cooking appliance according to document 1 configuredas described above, since the cooking plate comes in and out inassociation with the door's opening and closing operation, the cookingplate is inserted into and withdrawn from the cooking space more easily.

The heating and cooking appliance according to document 1 has problemsthe same as the first and second problems with the mini oven describedabove.

That is, in the heating and cooking appliance according to document 1,the door protrudes to a front of the heating and cooking appliance by aheight of the door at a time when the door is opened, and since the doorprotrudes to the front of the heating and cooking appliance by a heightof the door at a time when the door is opened, the center of gravity ofthe heating and cooking appliance shifts to the front.

In the heating and cooking appliance disclosed in document 1, thecooking plate's insertion and withdrawal is simply associated with thedoor's opening and closing operations. Accordingly, the door needs to beopened by the user directly causing inconvenience to the user such thatthe user checks a state of a food item being cooked.

A door opening and closing device of a toaster is disclosed in document2 (Korean Utility Model No. 20-2011-0001565). The door opening andclosing device of a toaster has a structure in which a front and apartial upper portion of an inner space of the toaster are opentogether.

In the configuration according to document 2, a door is disposed at afront of the toaster, and the door swivels toward a front side of thetoaster to open the inner space of the toaster. In this case, the doorcovers the partial upper portion as well as the front of the toaster.Accordingly, at a time when the door is opened, the front and thepartial upper portion of the inner space of the toaster are openedtogether.

In the configuration according to document 2, a toaster holder isinstalled in the door, and at a time when the door is opened, thetoaster holder swivels forward along with the door and is withdrawn outof the toaster.

In the door opening and closing device of a toaster according todocument 2 configured as described above, the toaster holder's insertionand withdrawal is associated with the door's opening and closingoperations, thereby enabling the toaster to be inserted into andwithdrawn from the toaster more readily.

In the door opening and closing device of a toaster according todocument 2, the partial upper portion of the inner space of the toasteris opened at a time when the door is opened. Accordingly, interferencebetween the toaster accommodated in the toaster holder and a frame ofthe toaster can be avoided at a time when the door is opened.

The door opening and closing device of a toaster, configured asdescribed above, has problems the same as the first and second problemswith the mini oven described above.

That is, in the door opening and closing device of a toaster, the doorprotrudes to a front of the door opening and closing device of a toasterby a height of the door at a time when the door is opened, and since thedoor protrudes to the front of the door opening and closing device of atoaster by a height of the door at a time when the door is opened, thecenter of gravity of the door opening and closing device of a toastershifts to the front. Additionally, a passage for inserting andwithdrawing a shelf and a passage for checking a state of a food itembeing cooked are limited to the front of the door opening and closingdevice of a toaster. In the heating and cooking appliance according todocument 1, a passage for inserting and withdrawing a shelf and apassage for checking a state of a food item being cooked are limited tothe front of the heating and cooking appliance.

In the device disclosed in document 2, the toaster holder's insertionand withdrawal is simply associated with the door's opening and closingoperations. Accordingly, the door needs to be opened by the userdirectly causing inconvenience to the user such that the user checks astate of a food item being cooked.

Further, in the device disclosed in document 2, since the toaster holderis installed in the door, the center of gravity of the toaster shiftseccentrically to the front at a time when the door is opened.

That is, in the configuration disclosed in document 2, at a time whenthe door is opened, the door is unfolded to the front of the toaster,and weight of the toaster holder, and weight of the toaster accommodatedin the toaster holder are added to weight of the door unfolded towardthe front. Thus, the center of gravity of the toaster shiftseccentrically to the front, and the toaster is highly likely to fallover at a time when the door is opened.

An oven provided with a front door and a top cover is disclosed indocument 3 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,502).

In the configuration disclosed in document 3, the front door is disposedat a front of the oven. The top cover is installed in an upper portionof the oven. The front door and the top cover are disposed at differentpositions, and independently operate. A front of an inner space of theoven is opened and closed by the front door, and an upper portion of theinner space of the oven is opened and closed by the top cover.

The oven according to document 3 has problems the same as the first andsecond problems with the mini oven described above.

That is, in the oven according to document 3, the door protrudes to afront of the oven by a height of the door at a time when the door isopened, and since the door protrudes to the front of the oven by aheight of the door at a time when the door is opened, the center ofgravity of the oven shifts eccentrically to the front.

In the configuration disclosed in document 3, the inner space opened andclosed by the front door, and the inner space opened and closed by thetop cover separate from each other and do not connect to each other.

Although the front door and the top cover are opened together, a degreeto which the inner space is opened by the front door does not increase,and a degree to which the inner space is opened by the top coverincreases.

An oven door structure is disclosed in document 4 (U.S. Pat. No.6,029,649). The oven door structure is installed in a cylindrical oven,and opens and closes the oven.

According to document 4, a door is disposed at a cylindrical body, andopens and closes the cylindrical body while rotating around the body. Ata time when the door is opened, the door does not protrude to any of thefront or the rear of the body. The door opens and closes the body onlyby rotating around the body.

The oven door structure according to document 4, configured as describedabove, has the following problems.

First, the door disclosed in document 4 is applied only to acylinder-shaped main body of a cooking appliance. Accordingly, the doorcannot be applied to a cuboid-shaped main body of an ordinary cookingappliance. Thus, the door has low compatibility.

Second, a structure for mounting a food item, such as a shelf, is hardlyinstalled in the body disclosed in document 4. Additionally, although astructure such as a shelf is installed in the body, it is difficult forthe shelf to be withdrawn from and inserted into the body due to thestructure of the body.

In the structure of the door disclosed in document 4, a manipulationswitch cannot be disposed on a front surface or an upper surface of acooking appliance since most of the front surface and the upper surfaceof a body are covered by the door or are within a range of rotation ofthe door. Thus, in document 4, a manipulation switch such as a timer isdisposed on a lateral surface of the body.

When the manipulation switch is disposed on the lateral surface of thecooking appliance rather than the front surface or the upper surface ofthe cooking appliance, user inconvenience can be caused when the userchecks a state of the manipulation switch or manipulates themanipulation switch. Accordingly, arranging the manipulation switch asdisclosed in document 4 is not a good of improving user convenience.

Furthermore, none of documents 1 to 4 suggests an arrangement of amanipulation switch on a door. Documents 1 to 4 present an arrangementof a manipulation switch at a main body.

In documents 1 and 3, a manipulation switch is disposed outside a doorin a left-right direction while being disposed at a main body of acooking appliance. In this configuration, a width of the main body in aleft-right direction needs to be elongated as much as a space requiredfor installing the manipulation switch. Accordingly, while the cookingappliance is entirely scaled up, a width opened by the door is narrowed.

In document 2, a manipulation switch is disposed in a lower portion of amain body of a cooking appliance. In this configuration, themanipulation switch is disposed at a low position, making it difficultfor the user to manipulate the manipulation switch. In the configurationdisclosed in document 2, a length of the main body in the up-downdirection needs to be elongated as much as a space required forinstalling the manipulation switch. Accordingly, while the cookingappliance is entirely scaled up, a width opened by the door is narrowed.

In document 4, when a manipulation switch is disposed on a lateralsurface of a cooking appliance, it is difficult for the user to check astate of the manipulation switch or manipulate the manipulation switch.

In the configurations disclosed in documents 1 to 4, the manipulationswitch cannot be disposed on the door. In the configurations disclosedin documents 1 to 4, a see-through window is provided on the door suchthat the user looks into a cooking space. The see-through window takesup most of the area of the door. Thus, there is not enough space forinstalling a manipulation switch on the door.

When the manipulation switch is disposed on the door, a control boardelectrically connected to the manipulation switch needs to be installedin the door. However, there is not enough space for installing thecontrol board in the door.

Thus, there is a growing need for a configuration as a solution to theabove problems to dispose a manipulation switch on a door.

Additionally, in the above prior art documents, no configuration forpreventing the leakage of heat and steam in the cooking space through agap between the main body of the cooking appliance and the door isdisclosed.

In the above prior art documents, in particular, in prior art documents2 and 3, a configuration, in which a portion of the upper surface andthe front surface of the space in the toaster or the body are openedtogether when the door is opened, is disclosed. As a range opened by thedoor expands as described above, heat and steam in the cooking space arehighly likely to leak through the gap between the main body and the doorof the cooking appliance.

As heat and steam in the cooking space leaks out of the front of thecooking appliance through the gap between the main body and the door ofthe cooking appliance, the heat or steam having leaked is highly likelyto cause damage to a user.

Additionally, the steam having leaked through the gap between the mainbody and the door of the cooking appliance may cause the formation ofdroplets at the door and around the door, or the collection of wateraround the door, caused by the droplets being formed at the door.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENT Patent Document

-   Document 1: JP Patent No. 6289602-   Document 2: KR Patent No 20-2011-0001565-   Document 3: U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,502-   Document 4: U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,649

SUMMARY Technical Problems

The present disclosure is directed to a cooking appliance that is scaleddown and has an improved structure in which a passage opened by a doorhas an increased width.

The present disclosure is also directed to a cooking appliance that hasan improved structure in which a manipulation switch is disposed on adoor.

The present disclosure is also directed to a cooking appliance thathelps to easily check a state of a food item being cooked and ensureimprovement in structural reliability.

The present disclosure is also directed to a cooking appliance thatensures ease of opening a door and inserting and withdrawing a shelf.

The present disclosure is also directed to a cooking appliance that hasan improved structure in which various types of components for the doorare stably disposed at the door.

The present disclosure is also directed to a cooking appliance that hasan improved structure in which various types of components for the doorare disposed at the door easily and rapidly.

The present disclosure is also directed to a cooking appliance that hasan improved structure in which a scratch on the door or a housing issuppressed while the door opens and closes a cooking space.

The present disclosure is also directed to a cooking appliance that hasan improved structure in which an impact being applied on the doordecreases while the door opens and closes the cooking space.

The present disclosure is also directed to a cooking appliance that hasan improved structure for suppressing the discharge of heat and steam,generated in the cooking space during cooking, to the front side of thedoor.

The present disclosure is also directed to a cooking appliance that hasan improved structure for effectively reducing the effect of heat orsteam on various types of components required to be disposed at thedoor.

Technical Solutions

To achieve the above aims, a cooking appliance according to one aspectmay enable a front and an upper portion of a housing to be openedtogether at a time when a door is opened.

According to another aspect, the cooking appliance includes a hingeassembly that swivably supports the door, and a cooling channel forcooling the front surface and the upper surface of the cooking applianceeis provide in the hinge assembly.

The cooling channel may be disposed at a position eccentric to a frontand an upper portion of the hinge assembly.

The cooling channel may be provided with a cooling fan in a lowerportion thereof.

Accordingly, portions, which are easily affected by heat causing anincrease in temperature and are highly likely to be contacted by a user,may be cooled, and the risk of an accident, and damage to components inthe door, caused due to overheating of the door, may be prevented.

According to another aspect, the cooking appliance includes a housinghaving an open upper surface and an open front surface, a door swivelingaround the rear side and opening and closing the upper surface and thefront surface of the housing, and a gasket part being disposed betweenthe door and the housing and sealing a gap between the door and thehousing.

The gasket part may include at least any one of a first gasket sealingbetween a lateral surface of the housing and a door front surfacepart/in front of a cooking space, a second gasket sealing between thefront surface of the housing and the door front surface part in front ofthe cooking space, and a third gasket sealing between a door uppersurface part and a lateral surface on the cooking space.

According to another aspect, the cooking appliance includes a dooropening and closing the upper surface and the front surface of a housinghaving a cooking space therein, a sealing part sealing a gap between thehousing and the door at the front of the cooking space, and an exhaustinducing part creating a flow of air to the rear surface of the housingfrom the front of the cooking space.

According to another aspect, the cooking appliance includes an exhaustinducing part creating at least any one of a flow of air to the otherlateral surface of the housing from any one lateral surface of thehousing out of both the lateral surfaces of the housing and a flow ofair to the rear surface of the housing from the front of the cookingspace while being disposed on a lateral surface of the housing andcreating a flow of air in front of the cooking space.

The exhaust inducing part may include a cooling channel being formed ina hinge assembly.

Preferably, a cool air discharge part may be disposed on the lateralsurface of the housing, and external air having flown through thecooling channel may be discharged into the cooking space through thecool air discharge part.

With the configuration, heat and steam generated in the cooking spacemay be efficiently prevented from leaking out of the cooking applianceat the front of the cooking appliance.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a control board is disposedin the door, and a cooling fan is disposed in the same space as thespace where the control board is disposed and discharges air in thespace where the control board is installed out of the door.

With the configuration, the effect of heat or steam on various types ofcomponents required to be disposed at the door may decrease.

Additionally, the cooling fan may be biased toward a cooling hole thanto a door upper surface part.

Preferably, the cooling fan may be disposed under a touch panelsupporting part and a temperature sensor that are disposed furtherdownward than the door upper surface part.

With the configuration, the re-suction of high-temperature air and steamdischarged from the cooling fan, and the flow of steam to the inside ofthe door front surface part from the inside of the door upper surfacepart are suppressed, and efficiency of cooling and removal of steam inthe door may improve.

According to another aspect, the door upper surface part may be providedtherein with a cable mounting part, and a cable for connecting betweenthe first control board and a first heating part may be installed in thedoor upper surface part.

With the configuration, the user may look into a cooking space fromabove through the see-through window formed in an upper portion of thecooking appliance. Thus, the user may check a state of a food item beingcooked conveniently and readily without leaning forward and bending theuser's knees.

According to another aspect, a supporting panel may be coupled at leastone of a door main body part and a door rear surface cover and fixed toan inside of the door main body part, and the control board may be fixedto the supporting panel.

According to another aspect, a handle, the supporting panel and the doormay be coupled to a single bracket together.

According to another aspect, the rear surface cover, the control board,the supporting panel and the door may be coupled to a single brackettogether.

Accordingly, components included in the door may be stably fixed to theinside of the door, and a man hour for assembling the door may bereduced, and the door may be assemble more easily and rapidly.

According to another aspect, the door for opening and closing thecooking space may be provided with a temperature sensor, and thetemperature sensor may protrude out of the door toward the cookingspace.

According to another aspect, the door for opening and closing thecooking space may be provided with a temperature sensor, and thetemperature sensor may be disposed at a position eccentric to an upperportion of the cooking space while protruding out of the door toward thecooking space.

The temperature sensor may be biased toward a heating part than to thetray while being disposed between the tray and the heating part.

The temperature sensor may be disposed at a position adjacent to an edgeon an upper side of the door front surface part.

The temperature sensor may be disposed at a position where the heatingpart is hidden by a shielding plate.

According to another aspect, the see-through window may be disposed inthe door upper surface part.

Accordingly, even though the cooking appliance is disposed at a lowposition, the user may check a state of a food item being cookedconveniently and readily without leaning forward and bending the user'sknees.

According to another aspect, the first heating part may be disposed inthe door upper surface part.

The first heating part disposed over the tray may be installed in thedoor upper surface part covering the upper portion of the housing, andaccordingly, the first heating part may be spaced apart from amanipulation device and a first control board, and the center of gravityof the door may be eccentric to a rear side.

According to another aspect, the first heating part and the see-throughwindow may be disposed in the door upper surface part, and themanipulation device may be disposed in the door front surface part wherethe first heating part and the see-through window are not installed.

According to another aspect, components such as glass, a heater and thelike that are relatively heavy may be disposed in the door upper surfacepart such that the center of gravity of the cooking appliance may shiftfrom a center to a rear in a front-rear direction when the door opensthe front surface and the upper surface of the housing.

The cooking appliance, configured as described above, may reduce thepossibility of the fall of the cooking appliance when the door isopened, since the center of gravity of the cooking appliance shifts fromthe center to the rear in the front-rear direction when the door opensthe cooking space.

A cooking appliance according to an aspect may include: a housing havinga cooking space being surrounded by a bottom surface, both lateralsurfaces and a rear surface therein and having an open upper surface andan open front surface; a door including a door upper surface partcovering the upper surface of the housing and a door front surface partconnecting to the front side of the door upper surface part and coveringthe front surface of the housing, swiveling around the rear side of thedoor upper surface part and opening and closing the upper surface andthe front surface of the housing; and a gasket part being disposedbetween the door and the housing and sealing a gap between the door andthe housing.

The gasket part may include at least any one of a first gasket sealingbetween the door front surface part and the lateral surfaces in front ofthe cooking space, a second gasket sealing between the door frontsurface part and the bottom surface in front of the cooking space, and athird gasket sealing between the door upper surface part and the lateralsurfaces on the cooking space.

Preferably, at least any one of the first gasket, the second gasket andthe third gasket is disposed at the door.

Preferably, the first gasket and the second gasket are installed in thedoor front surface part, and the third gasket is installed in the doorupper surface part.

Preferably, at least any one of the first gasket, the second gasket andthe third gasket includes a sealing body which is coupled to the doorand at least a portion of which passes through the door from the insideof the door and protrudes toward the housing, and a support body whichsupports the sealing body in the door.

Preferably, one lateral surface of the sealing body, facing the housing,is rounded and protrudes toward the housing.

Preferably, a gasket hollow hole part is provided in the sealing body,and is formed in a way that penetrates in the sealing body.

Preferably, the first gasket includes a first sealing body passingthrough the rear surface of the door front surface part in thefront-rear direction and being coupled to the rear surface of the doorfront surface part, and a first support body supporting the firstsealing body in the door front surface part.

Preferably, the first sealing body is disposed to face the lateralsurface.

Additionally, the cooking appliance includes a door main body partforming the exterior of the door front surface part and having a spacewith an open rear therein, and a door rear surface cover covering theopen rear of the door main body part and being coupled to the door mainbody part.

Preferably, the first sealing body is fitted and coupled to the doorrear surface cover while passing through the door rear surface cover.

Preferably, the first gasket further includes at least any one of afirst sealing cover and a first sealing projection that protrude fromthe first sealing body.

Preferably, the first sealing cover contacts the door rear surface coverclosely outside the door while forming a flat surface parallel with thedoor rear surface cover, and the first sealing projection contacts thedoor rear surface cover closely inside the door while forming a flatsurface parallel with the door rear surface cover.

Preferably, the cooking appliance further includes a supporting panelbeing accommodated in the door front surface part, and the supportingpanel is disposed between the front surface of the door main body partand the door rear surface cover, and the first support body is disposedbetween the door rear surface cover and the supporting panel.

Preferably, the first support body and the door front surface part arecoupled while the first support body is fitted between the door rearsurface cover and the supporting panel.

Preferably, the second gasket includes a second sealing body passingthrough the rear surface of the door front surface part in thefront-rear direction and being coupled to the rear surface of the doorfront surface part, and a second support body supporting the secondsealing body in the door front surface part.

Preferably, the second sealing body is disposed to face the bottomsurface.

Preferably, the second sealing body is fitted and coupled to the doorrear surface cover while passing through the door rear surface cover.

Preferably, the second gasket further includes a second sealingprojection protruding from the second sealing body, and the secondsealing projection protrudes in a parallel direction with a flat surfacebeing formed by the door rear surface cover.

Preferably, a plurality of second sealing projections is spaced apredetermined distance apart from each other in the front-reardirection.

Preferably, the second support body includes a first protrusion supportpart that protrudes from the second sealing body in a parallel directionwith the flat surface being formed by the door rear surface cover, and asecond protrusion support part that protrudes in a direction differentfrom the direction in which the first protrusion support part protrudeswhile protruding in a parallel direction with the first protrusionsupport part.

Preferably, the second sealing body is disposed between the firstprotrusion support part and the second protrusion support part.

Preferably, the third gasket includes a third sealing body that iscoupled to the bottom surface of the door upper surface part or a doorframe while passing through the bottom surface of the door upper surfacepart or the door frame being coupled to the lower portion of the doorupper surface part in the front-rear direction, and a third support bodythat supports the third sealing body in the door upper surface part.

Preferably, the third sealing body is disposed to face the upper end ofthe lateral surface.

Preferably, the cooking appliance includes a door main body part thatforms the exterior of the door upper surface part and has a space withan open lower portion therein, and a door frame that covers the openlower portion of the door main body part and is coupled to the door mainbody part.

Preferably, the third sealing body is fitted to the door frame whilepassing through the door frame.

Preferably, at least any one of the first gasket, the second gasket andthe third gasket is made of an elastically deformable material.

Preferably, the second gasket is disposed between a pair of firstgaskets, and the second gasket and the pair of first gaskets arearranged in a way that the second gasket and the pair of first gasketsconnect in a “U” shape.

Preferably, each of the first gaskets includes a straight line shapethat extends in the up-down direction, the second gasket includes astraight line shape that extends in the left-right direction, and thethird gasket includes a straight line shape that extends in thefront-rear direction.

Advantageous Effects

According to the present disclosure, a door may not be unfolded forwardbut may swivel upward to open both the front surface and the uppersurface of a cooking space, thereby enabling the door to be open easilysmoothly even in a narrow space and enabling a food item or a tray to bewithdrawn conveniently and readily.

According to the present disclosure, since the front surface and theupper surface of the cooking space may be opened by the door, a tray maybe exposed further. Accordingly, an object to be cooked may be easilyput into and out of the cooking space only by partially withdrawing thetray, thereby ensuring improvement in convenience and safety.

According to the present disclosure, since the door is not unfoldedforward but swivels upward to be opened and closed, it is unlikely thatthe center of gravity of the cooking appliance shifts forward at a timewhen the door is opened, thereby significantly reducing the risk of afall of the cooking appliance.

According to the present disclosure, since a center of swiveling of thedoor is formed on a rear side of the cooking appliance, the center ofgravity of the door may be more eccentric to a door upper surface partthan to a door front surface part, and the center of gravity of thecooking appliance may be eccentric to the rear side of the cookingappliance at a time when the door is opened, thereby significantlyreducing the risk of a fall of the cooking appliance and improvingsafety and ease of use of the cooking appliance.

According to the present disclosure, since a manipulation device isinstalled on the door, a housing may be scaled down, and an entrance ofthe cooking space may be large enough for a tray and a food item to comein and out, thereby ensuring a compact exterior and improving usability.

According to the present disclosure, a see-through window may bedisposed in an upper portion of the door, and the manipulation devicemay be disposed at a front of the door such that the user checks a stateof food item being cooked more conveniently and readily without leaningforward and bending the user's knees, thereby enabling the user tomanipulate a manipulation switch conveniently and readily while facingthe cooking appliance.

According to the present disclosure, components included in the door maybe stably fixed to an inside of the door, and a man hour for assemblingthe door may be reduced, and the door may be assembled more easily andrapidly.

According to the present disclosure, portions which are easily affectedby heat, causing an increase in temperature, and are highly likely to becontacted by the user may be cooled, thereby preventing a safetyaccident and preventing damage to the components in the door, caused bythe overheating of the door.

According to the present disclosure, a gap between the front surface ofthe housing and the door front surface part or a gap between the endportion of the front of a lateral surface of the housing and the doorfront surface part may be adjusted depending on the front-to-rearposition of the fastening part being coupled to a position adjustmentguide part, thereby managing tolerance in relation to the Y-axis gapefficiently.

According to the present disclosure, an operational error in opening andclosing the door, caused by improper management of tolerance in relationto the Y-axis gap of the door, may be prevented, and the leakage of heatand steam in the cooking space may be suppressed effectively.

According to the present disclosure, the front surface of the cabinetmay be coupled to the housing by a fastening bracket in the state inwhich the front surface of the cabinet closely contacts the frontsurface of the housing in front of the housing, thereby managingtolerance in relation to the gap between the housing and the cabineteasily, ensuring greater ease of installation of the cabinet andimproving the aesthetic qualities of the cooking appliance.

According to the present disclosure, the front surface of the cabinetmay be coupled to the housing in the state in which the front surface ofthe cabinet closely contacts the front surface of the housing in frontof the housing, thereby preventing air from leaking through the gapbetween the front surface of the cabinet and the front surface of thehousing and discharging cool air through a cool air discharge parteffectively.

According to the present disclosure, gaskets may be disposed at a pointwhere the door and the housing contacts each other when the door closesthe cooking space, thereby preventing a scratch on the door or thehousing effectively, which is caused by contact between the door and thehousing while the door opens and closes the cooking space.

According to the present disclosure, the gaskets may absorb an impactthat is applied to the door when the door closes the cooking space,thereby effectively preventing damage to the door itself or thecomponents installed in the door, which is caused while the door closesthe cooking space.

According to the present disclosure, the discharge of heat and steamgenerated in the cooking space during cooking to the front side of thedoor may be suppressed effectively.

According to the present disclosure, damage to a user, caused by heat orsteam leaking out of the front of the cooking appliance through the gapbetween the door and the housing, may be prevented efficiently.

According to the present disclosure, the formation of droplets on thedoor caused by steam leaking through the gap between the door and thehousing, or the collection of water around the door caused by thedroplets formed on the door may be prevented, thereby preventing thecontamination of the cooking appliance and the surroundings thereofeffectively.

According to the present disclosure, heat and steam having flown intothe door front surface part accommodating a control board, amanipulation device and the like may be discharged out of the doorsmoothly, thereby reducing deterioration in the performance of thecomponents in the door and failure of the components effectively.

According to the present disclosure, a first cooling fan may be disposedin a proper position in the door, thereby suppressing the re-suction ofhigh-temperature air and steam discharged from the cooling fan and theflow of steam to the inside of the door front surface part from theinside of the door upper surface part.

According to the present disclosure, the efficiency of cooling and theefficiency of removal of steam in the door may improve, thereby reducingdeterioration in the performance of the components in the door andfailure of the components effectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings constitute a part of the specification,illustrate one or more embodiments in the disclosure, and together withthe specification, explain the disclosure, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cooking appliance in oneembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a door of thecooking appliance in FIG. 1 is open;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the cooking appliance inFIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view separately showing the housing and thehinge assemblies in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view separately showing a door in oneembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view showing a bottom surface side of thedoor in FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of thedoor in FIG. 6 ;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line “VIII-VIII” of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view showing portion “IX” in FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line “X-X” of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing portion “XI” in FIG. 10 ;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state in which a portion of thedoor in FIG. 5 is removed;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line “XIII-XIII” of FIG.12 ;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of themanipulation device in FIG. 13 ;

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view separately showing the socketmember in FIG. 14 ;

FIG. 16 is s a front view showing the socket member in FIG. 15 ;

FIG. 17 is a side view showing the socket member in FIG. 15 ;

FIG. 18 is a front view schematically showing a configuration of thefirst control board in FIG. 14 ;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of thecooking appliance in one embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a view showing a change in center of gravity in a state inwhich a door of a cooking appliance is open;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view separately showing components constitutinga door front surface part;

FIG. 22 is a front perspective view separately showing the supportingpanel in FIG. 21 ;

FIG. 23 is a rear perspective view showing a rear surface of thesupporting panel in FIG. 22 ;

FIG. 24 is a rear perspective view showing a state in which atemperature sensor is installed;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view separately showing the bracket in FIG. 21;

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling structure between asupporting panel and a door rear surface cover;

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling structure between afront surface of a door main body part and a supporting panel;

FIG. 28 is an enlarged view showing a portion of a configuration in adoor front surface part;

FIGS. 29 to 31 are rear perspective views showing a procedure forassembly of a door front surface part;

FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure in acooking appliance;

FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a touchmanipulation part in FIG. 27 ;

FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view separately showing a housing anda second heating part in one embodiment;

FIG. 35 is a plan view showing the second heating part in FIG. 34 ;

FIG. 36 is an exploded perspective view separately showing the secondheating part, the receiver coil and the electromagnetic shielding platein FIG. 34 ;

FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling between the secondheating part and the temperature sensor, and a coupling between thereceiver coil and the electromagnetic shielding plate in FIG. 34 ;

FIG. 38 is a rear view showing the second control board in FIG. 37 ;

FIG. 39 is a rear view showing a state in which a rear surface cover isdisposed on a rear surface of the second control board in FIG. 38 ;

FIG. 40 is a perspective view separately showing a door frame andcomponents installed in the door frame in one embodiment;

FIG. 41 is an exploded perspective view showing the door frame and thecomponents installed in the door frame in FIG. 40 ;

FIG. 42 is a perspective view separately showing the door frame in FIG.41 ;

FIG. 43 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a state in which adoor frame, a first heating part and a protective grille are coupled;

FIG. 44 is a bottom view showing the state in which the door frame, thefirst heating part and the protective grille are coupled;

FIG. 45 is a cross-sectional view along line “XXXXV-XXXXV” in FIG. 40 ;

FIG. 46 is a cross-sectional view along line “XXXXVI-XXXXVI” in FIG. 40;

FIG. 47 is a perspective view showing a coupling structure between adoor frame and a hinge part;

FIG. 48 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling structure between adoor frame and a hinge part;

FIG. 49 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling structure among adoor frame, a hinge part and a door;

FIG. 50 is a perspective view showing an inner structure of a door frontsurface part;

FIG. 51 is a view showing flows of steam and air inside the door frontsurface part in FIG. 50 ;

FIG. 52 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a cross section ofthe cooking appliance along line “XXXXX-XXXXX” in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 53 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing a structure of acooling channel in FIG. 52 ;

FIG. 54 is a front cross-sectional view showing the structure of thecooling channel in FIG. 52 ;

FIG. 55 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the structure ofthe cooling channel in FIG. 52 ;

FIG. 56 is a cross-sectional view taken along line “XXXXXXIV-XXXXXXIV”in FIG. 63 ;

FIG. 57 is a view showing a flow of air in the cooling channel in FIG.52 ;

FIG. 58 is a front cross-sectional view showing an inner structure ofthe cooking appliance in one embodiment;

FIG. 59 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXIX” in FIG. 58 ;

FIG. 60 is a planar cross-sectional view showing the inner structure ofthe cooking appliance in one embodiment;

FIG. 61 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXI” in FIG. 60 ;

FIG. 62 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing the inner structure ofthe cooking appliance in one embodiment;

FIG. 63 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXIII” in FIG. 62 ;

FIG. 64 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXIV” in FIG. 59 ;

FIG. 65 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXV” in FIG. 61 ;

FIG. 66 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXVI” in FIG. 63 ;

FIG. 67 is a rear view showing a rear surface of the door of the cookingappliance in one embodiment;

FIG. 68 is a bottom view showing a lower surface of the door in FIG. 67;

FIG. 69 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an inner structureof a door;

FIG. 70 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing a flow of air inside acooking appliance;

FIG. 71 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXXI” in FIG. 70 ;

FIG. 72 is a perspective view showing a door frame in anotherembodiment;

FIG. 73 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXXIII” in FIG. 72 ;

FIG. 74 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling structure betweenthe door frame in FIG. 72 and a hinge part;

FIG. 75 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXXV” in FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 76 is a cross-sectional perspective view separately showing acabinet and a housing in another embodiment;

FIG. 77 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the cabinetin FIG. 75 ;

FIG. 78 is a bottom perspective view showing a lower surface side of thecooking appliance in FIG. 75 ; and

FIG. 79 is a cross-sectional view along line “XXXXXXXIX-XXXXXXXIX” inFIG. 78 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The above-described aspects, features and advantages are specificallydescribed hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings suchthat one having ordinary skill in the art to which the presentdisclosure pertains can easily implement the technical spirit of thedisclosure. In the disclosure, detailed description of knowntechnologies in relation to the subject matter of the disclosure isomitted if it is deemed to make the gist of the disclosure unnecessarilyvague. Below, preferred embodiments according to the disclosure arespecifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Inthe drawings, identical reference numerals can denote identical orsimilar components.

The terms “first”, “second” and the like are used herein only todistinguish one component from another component. Thus, the componentsshould not be limited by the terms. Certainly, a first component can bea second component unless stated to the contrary.

Embodiments are not limited to the embodiments set forth herein, and canbe modified and changed in various different forms. The embodiments inthe disclosure are provided such that the disclosure can be through andcomplete and the scope of the disclosure can be fully conveyed to one ofordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, all modifications, equivalentsor replacements as well as a replacement of the configuration of oneembodiment with the configuration of another embodiment or an additionof the configuration of one embodiment to the configuration of anotherembodiment, within the technical spirit and scope of the disclosure,should be construed as being included in the scope of the disclosure.

Accompanying drawings are provided for a better understanding of theembodiments set forth herein and are not intended to limit the technicalspirit of the disclosure. It is to be understood that all themodifications, equivalents or replacements within the spirit andtechnical scope of the disclosure are included in the scope of thedisclosure. Sizes or thicknesses of the components in the drawings areexaggerated or reduced to ensure ease of understanding. However, theprotection scope of the subject matter of the disclosure should not beinterpreted in a limited way.

The terms in the disclosure are used only to describe specificimplementations or embodiments but not intended to limit the subjectmatter. The singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to includethe plural forms as well, unless explicitly indicated otherwise. It isto be understood that the terms “comprise”, “include” and the like, setforth herein, are used to indicate presence of features, numbers, steps,operations, components, parts or combinations thereof, and do not implythe exclusion of one or more additional features, numbers, steps,operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

The terms “first”, “second” and the like are used herein only todistinguish one component from another component. Thus, the componentsshould not be limited by the terms. Certainly, a first component can bea second component unless stated to the contrary.

When one component is described as being “connected” or “connected” toanother component, one component can be directly connected or connectedto another component. However, it is also to be understood that anadditional component can be “interposed” between the two components.When one component is described as being “directly connected” or“directly connected” to another component, it is to be understood thatno additional component is interposed between the two components.

When one component is described as being “on” or “under” anothercomponent, one component can be directly on or under another component,and an additional component can be interposed between the twocomponents.

Unless otherwise defined, all the terms (technical or science words)used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one ofordinary skill in the art. Additionally, terms such as those defined incommonly-used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaningthat is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevantart, and unless explicitly defined herein, should not be interpreted inan ideal or overly formal way.

In the state in which a cooking appliance stands on the floor, withrespect to the center of the cooking appliance, a direction toward thefloor is defined as a downward direction and a direction toward adischarge part is defined as an upward direction. For convenience, adirection facing the downward direction and the upward direction can bereferred to as a first direction. Then the downward direction isreferred to as one direction of the first direction, and the upwarddirection is referred to as the other direction of the first direction.

Additionally, a gravitational direction can be defined as the downwarddirection, and a direction opposite to the gravitational direction canbe defined as the upward direction.

Further, a horizontal direction across an up-down direction of thecooking appliance, i.e., a widthwise direction of the cooking appliancethat is seen in front of the cooking appliance in the state of standingon the floor can be referred to as a left-right direction.

For convenience, the left-right direction can be referred to as a seconddirection. Then the right side can be referred to as one direction ofthe second direction, and the left side can be referred to as the otherdirection of the second direction.

Additionally, the widthwise direction of the cooking appliance can alsobe referred to as a lateral direction. The right side can also bereferred to as one side of the lateral direction, and the left side canbe referred to the other side of the lateral direction.

Further, a horizontal direction across the first direction and thesecond direction of the cooking appliance can be referred to as afront-rear direction of the cooking appliance.

For convenience, the front-rear direction can be referred to as thefirst direction, and a front can be referred to as one direction of athird direction while a rear can be referred to as the other directionof the third direction.

Furthermore, a direction, in which a flat surface parallel with thesecond direction and the third direction of the cooking applianceextends, can be referred to as a flat surface direction for convenience.

Throughout the disclosure, the terms “A and/or B” as used herein candenote A, B or A and B, and the terms “C to D” can denote C or greaterand D or less, unless stated to the contrary.

[Entire Structure of Cooking Appliance]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cooking appliance in oneembodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a doorof the cooking appliance in FIG. 1 is open, and FIG. 3 is an explodedperspective view showing the cooking appliance in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 , the cooking appliance according to anembodiment of the present disclosure may include a housing 100, a door300, a tray 200, and heating parts 400 and 600.

The housing 100 forms a frame of the cooking appliance in thisembodiment. According to this, various components constituting thecooking appliance are installed in the housing 100. A cooking space 105which provides a space for cooking food is formed inside the housing100.

In the present embodiment, the housing 100 is illustrated as beingformed in a hexahedral shape with open upper and front surfaces. Thatis, the housing 100 includes a bottom surface 110, a pair of lateralsurfaces 120 and 130, and a rear surface 140, which forms a spacetherein, and is provided in a form in which the upper surface and thefront surface may open. The cooking space 105 surrounded by the bottomsurface 110, both the lateral surfaces 120 and 130, and the rear surface140 of the housing 100 is formed inside the housing 100.

The tray 200 is disposed in the cooking space 105 inside the housing100. The tray 200 is provided so that an object to be cooked is seatedthereon. The tray 200 may be detachably installed inside the cookingspace 105.

The tray 200 has a lower surface being formed into a shape correspondingto the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100. In the embodiment, thetray 200 is formed into a box the upper portion of which is open andwhich is flat in the up-down direction, for example. The lower surfaceof the tray 200 may be formed into a shape corresponding to the bottomsurface 110 of the housing 100, e.g., a rectangular plate. Additionally,four lateral surfaces of the tray 200 may be formed in a way thatextends upward from the edges of the lower surface of the tray 200respectively.

The door 300 is provided to open or close the open upper and frontsurfaces of the housing 100. In the present embodiment, the housing 100forms an exterior of a bottom surface, lateral surfaces, and a rearsurface of the cooking appliance while the door 300 forms an exterior ofan upper surface and a front surface of the cooking appliance. The door300 may include a door upper surface part 310 and a door front surfacepart 350.

The door upper surface part 310 forms an upper surface of the door 300and corresponds to a component which covers the open upper surface ofthe housing 100 when the door 300 closes the cooking space 105 insidethe housing 100. Also, the door front surface part 350 forms a frontsurface of the door 300 and corresponds to a component which covers theopen front surface of the housing 100 when the door 300 closes thecooking space 105.

In the present embodiment, the door 300 is illustrated as being formedin an L-shape. That is, at the door 300, the door upper surface part 310forming the upper surface of the door 300 and the door front surfacepart 350 forming the front surface of the door 300 are formed in theform of being connected to each other in an L-shape. The door 300 formedin this way opens or closes the cooking space 105 as the door uppersurface part 310 and the door front surface part 350 connected to eachother in an L-shape rotate together when the door 300 rotates foropening or closing the cooking space 105.

The door 300 is rotatably installed at an upper portion of the housing100 and is rotatably coupled to the housing 100 via the hinge assemblies800 installed at the housing 100. In this case, the hinge assemblies 800are disposed at each lateral portion of the housing 100, and a rear sideof the door upper surface part 310 is rotatably coupled to the hingeassemblies 800.

Also, a handle 305 may be provided at the front surface of the door 300,and a user may open or close the cooking space 105 by holding the handle305 and rotating the door 300 in an up-down direction.

The heating parts 400 and 600 may be installed at the housing 100 and/orthe door 300 to heat the tray 200 disposed in the cooking space 105. Inthe present embodiment, the heating parts 400 and 600 are illustrated asincluding a first heating part 400 disposed at the door 300 and a secondheating part 600 disposed in the housing 100.

The first heating part 400 is installed at the door 300 such that, whenthe door 300 closes the cooking space 105, the first heating part 400 ishoused inside the cooking space 105. The first heating part 400 isinstalled at the door upper surface part 310 in such a way that thefirst heating part 400 is disposed at a bottom surface side of the doorupper surface part 310 facing the bottom surface of the housing 100.

In the present embodiment, the first heating part 400 is illustrated asbeing provided in the form including an electric heater. The firstheating part 400 may heat the object to be cooked which is seated in thetray 200 from an upper portion of the object.

The second heating part 600 is installed at the housing 100, and isdisposed at a lower portion of the tray 200. The second heating part 600is provided in the form of a heating part which heats the tray 200 usinga different heating method from the first heating part 400, e.g., aninduction heating part.

The second heating part 600 may be provided in the form including aworking coil 610 installed at a lower portion of the bottom surface 110of the housing 100 and may induce heating of the tray 200 from the lowerportion of the bottom surface 110. To this end, the tray 200 may beformed of a material which may be inductively heated by the secondheating part 600.

In summary, the cooking appliance in this embodiment includes a housing100 in which the cooking space 105 is formed, the door 300 provided tobe able to simultaneously open the front and the top of the cookingspace 105, the first heating part 400 provided to be able to heat theinside of the cooking space 105 from the top, and the second heatingpart 600 provided to be able to inductively heat the tray 200 inside thecooking space 105, wherein the withdrawal and insertion of the tray 200may be performed in association with the operation of opening or closingthe door 300.

Detailed descriptions of the above-mentioned components and othercomponents not mentioned yet will be sequentially given below.

[Structure of Housing]

FIG. 4 is a perspective view separately showing the housing and thehinge assemblies in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , as described above, the housing 100includes a bottom surface 110, a pair of lateral surfaces 120 and 130,and a rear surface 140, which forms a space therein, and is provided inthe form in which the upper surface and the front surface are open.

The cooking space 105 may be formed in the inner space surrounded by thebottom surface 110, both the lateral surfaces 120 and 130, and the rearsurface 140 of the housing 100, and the tray 200 may be installed in thecooking space 105 so as to be withdrawable therefrom.

Also, the second heating part 600 may be installed at the lower portionof the bottom surface of the housing 100, and an electronic component,e.g., a second control board 700 which will be described below, relatedto operation of the second heating part 600 may be installed at the rearof the rear surface of the housing 100.

Further, the hinge assemblies 800 may be installed at outer sides of thelateral surfaces 120 and 130 of the housing 100, and the door 300 may berotatably installed at the housing 100 by being coupled to the hingeassemblies 800 installed as above.

As one example, the housing 100 may be produced in such a form that ametal plate is bent in a U-shape and the metal plate bent in this wayforms the bottom surface and both lateral surfaces of the housing 100.When the housing 100 is produced in this form, the bottom surface 110 ofthe housing 100 may be integrally connected to both lateral surfaces 120and 130 of the housing 100 without a joint.

Thereby, internal aesthetic of the cooking space 105 may be improved,and an effect of preventing foreign materials from being jammed in gapsbetween the bottom surface 110 and both lateral surfaces 120 and 130 ofthe housing 100 or preventing the foreign materials from coming outthrough the gaps to contaminate the second heating part 600 may beobtained.

As another example, the housing 100 may be produced in such a form thata metal plate includes left and right protrusion portions forming aT-shape which are bent upward to form the bottom surface 110 and boththe lateral surfaces 120 and 130 of the housing 100, and a rearprotrusion portion is bent upward to form the rear surface 140 of thehousing 100. When the housing is produced in this form, the bottomsurface 110, both the lateral surfaces 120 and 130, and the rear surface140 of the housing 100 may be integrally formed without joints betweenthe bottom surface 110 and both the lateral surfaces 120 and 130 of thehousing 100, and between the bottom surface 110 and the rear surface 140of the housing 100.

Thereby, when viewed from the front and the top, an inner surface of thecooking space 105 may maintain a smooth surface where internal joints ofthe cooking space 105 are nearly not seen. Thus, the internal aestheticof the cooking space 105 may be further improved, and an effect ofeasily removing contaminants attached to the inner surface of thecooking space 105 may be additionally obtained.

Meanwhile, the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 may include aceramic glass. The ceramic glass may have the shape of a rectangularflat plate having a prescribed thickness.

For example, the ceramic glass may be disposed at a cut middle portionof the bottom surface 110 formed of a metal material. The ceramic glassmay be disposed between the second heating part 600 and the tray 200.

Also, a rear surface case 150 which houses the second control board 700which will be described below is disposed at the rear of the rearsurface 140 of the housing 100. The second control board 700 is housedin the rear surface case 150 and installed at the rear of the housing100, and an insulating plate 160 is disposed between the rear surface140 of the housing 100 and the rear surface case 150.

The insulating plate 160 serves to block transfer of hot air from theinside of the cooking space 105 to the second control board 700 via therear surface 140 of the housing 100 and insulate the housing 100 and therear surface case 150, in which the second control board 700 isinstalled, from each other.

Further, the housing 100 of the present embodiment may further include acabinet 170. The cabinet 170 is provided to cover both the lateralsurfaces 120 and 130 and the rear surface 140 of the housing 100. Thecabinet 170 may surround and protect the hinge assemblies 800 installedat both the lateral surfaces 120 and 130 of the housing 100 and thesecond control board 700 installed at the rear surface 140 of thehousing 100 from the outside and form an exterior of the lateralportions and the rear of the cooking appliance.

[Structure of Door]

FIG. 5 is a perspective view separately showing a door in oneembodiment, FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view showing a bottom surfaceside of the door in FIG. 5 , FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective viewshowing a configuration of the door in FIG. 6 , FIG. 8 is across-sectional view taken along line “VIII-VIII” of FIG. 1 , FIG. 9 isan enlarged view showing portion “IX” in FIG. 8 , FIG. 10 is across-sectional view taken along line “X-X” of FIG. 1 , and FIG. 11 isan enlarged view showing portion “XI” in FIG. 10 .

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 11 , the door 300 is provided in the form inwhich the door upper surface part 310 forming the upper surface of thedoor 300 and the door front surface part 350 forming the front surfaceof the door 300 are integrally connected to each other in an L-shape.

The door upper surface part 310 may be formed in a quadrilateral shapesuch that the door upper surface part 310 is formed in a rectangularshape in which a front-rear length is longer than a left-right length. Adoor frame 320 may be installed at the door upper surface part 310. Thedoor frame 320 may be installed at a lower portion of the door uppersurface part 310, and the first heating part 400 may be installed at thelower portion of the door upper surface part 310 while being coupled tothe door frame 320.

The door 300 may include a see-through window W. The see-through windowW may be disposed at the door upper surface part 310 such that thesee-through window W is provided to be located at a central portion ofthe door upper surface part 310 in a planar direction.

The see-through window W may include a pair of glasses 330 and 335 whichare disposed to be spaced a predetermined distance apart from each otherin the up-down direction so that a space portion is formed inside thesee-through window W. For example, of the glasses 330 and 335, the glass330 (hereinafter referred to as “first glass”) may be installed at thedoor upper surface part 310, and the other glass 335 (hereinafterreferred to as “second glass”) may be installed at the door frame 320.

A through hole may be formed in each of the door upper surface part 310and the door frame 320. The through holes may be formed at the center ofthe door upper surface part 310 in the planar direction and at thecenter of the door frame 320 in the planar direction, respectively.

In this embodiment, the first glass 330 is installed in the door uppersurface part 310 in such a way that the through hole formed in the doorupper surface part 310 is covered by the first glass 330 from the top,and the second glass 335 is installed in the door frame 320 in such away that the through hole formed in the door frame 320 is covered by thesecond glass 335 from the top.

The first glass 330 and the second glass 335 may be formed of glassformed of a transparent or translucent material. The see-through windowW may be formed at portions of the through holes covered by the firstglass 330 and the second glass 335.

The user may view the inside of the cooking space 105 from the topthrough the see-through window W formed as above, and in this way, acooking state of food inside the cooking space 105 may be checked. Dueto characteristics of a mini oven, the cooking appliance of the presentembodiment is often used at a point which is significantly lower thanthe user's face. Therefore, the see-through window W formed at the uppersurface of the door 300 may be provided as a means that allows the userto easily and conveniently check the cooking state of food withoutlowering their posture or bending their waist forward.

Further, the pair of glasses 330 and 335 forming the see-through windowW are coupled to different components, that is, one is coupled to thedoor upper surface part 310 and the other is coupled to the door frame320, and are disposed to be spaced a predetermined distance apart fromeach other. Accordingly, a separation space between the two glasses 330and 335 is formed inside the see-through window W.

For example, a first glass 330 may be disposed in an upper portion ofthe door upper surface part 310, and a second glass 335 may be disposedin the door frame 320. Accordingly, the first glass 330 and the secondglass 335 may be spaced from each other by at least a thickness of thedoor upper surface part 310.

That is, a separation space, which is at least as thick as the doorupper surface part 310, may be formed between the first glass 330 andthe second glass 335 forming the see-through glass W. Accordingly, theseparation space formed by the two glasses 330 and 335 may be formed inthe see-through glass W. Air may flow into the separation space formedas describe above, and the air introduced into the separation space mayform an air layer in the separation space.

The air layer formed in the separation space formed in this way mayserve to block transfer of heat, which has heated the second glass 335directly exposed to the cooking space 105, to the first glass 330disposed at the door upper surface part 310.

In this way, the see-through window W provided in the double-windowstructure as described above has a function of preventing, to asignificant level, the occurrence of safety accidents caused by theoverheating of the see-through window W, the occurrence of steaming upof the see-through window W due to a temperature rise of the see-throughwindow W, and the like.

Additionally, a through hole formed in the door upper surface part 310may have a width less than a width of a through hole formed in the doorframe 320. Further, when seen from above, the through hole formed in thedoor upper surface part 310 may be formed in a way that the through holeis disposed in an area inside the through hole formed in the door frame320.

That is, the through hole may be formed in the door upper surface part310 such that an inner edge of the door frame 320 is not exposed throughthe see-through window W. In this case, since the door frame 320 is notexposed through the see-through window W, aesthetic qualities may beensured.

The first heating part 400 is installed at the door upper surface part310 in such a way that the first heating part 400 is disposed in aregion not exposed through the see-through window W when viewed from thetop. The first heating part 400 is disposed at a front outer side and arear outer side of the see-through window W on a plane in a horizontaldirection corresponding to the door upper surface part 310. In otherwords, the first heating part 400 may be respectively disposed outsidethe through holes formed in the door upper surface part 310 and the doorframe 320. That is, the cooking appliance of the present embodiment mayinclude a pair of first heating parts 400 disposed at the front outerside and the rear outer side of the see-through window W.

When the first heating part 400 is disposed in a region exposed throughthe see-through window W, it is aesthetically not desirable. Also aproblem may occur in securing the field of view through the see-throughwindow W, and a problem in that a temperature of a portion of thesee-through window W rises may also occur.

Also, in consideration of the shape of the door front surface part 350having a rectangular shape in which a front-rear length is longer than aleft-right length, the first heating part 400 should be disposed at thefront outer side and the rear outer side of the see-through window W fora length of the first heating part 400 to be increased accordingly, andimprovement in thermal power of the first heating part 400 may beexpected in proportion to the increase in the length of the firstheating part 400.

In consideration of such aspects, the first heating part 400 is disposedat each of the front outer side and the rear outer side of thesee-through window W. In this way, it may be advantageous to securefunctional advantages such as maintaining aesthetics, maintaining asecured field of view, suppressing a temperature rise of the see-throughwindow W, and improving the thermal power of the first heating part 400.

The door front surface part 350 may be formed in a rectangular shapelike the door upper surface part 310. However, when the door uppersurface part 310 forms a plane in the horizontal direction, the doorfront surface part 350 forms a plane in a vertical direction.

For example, the door front surface part 350 may be formed extendingdownward from a front end portion of the door upper surface part 310.Also, the door front surface part 350 and the door upper surface part310 may be connected in the form in which an inner space of the doorfront surface part 350 and an inner space of the door upper surface part310 are connected to each other. That is, the door 300 may be providedin the form in which the door front surface part 350 and the door uppersurface part 310, whose inner spaces are connected to each other, areintegrally connected in an L-shape.

A manipulation device 1000 and a first control board 500 may be disposedin the door front surface part 350. In this embodiment, a space portionmay be formed inside the door front surface part 350, for example (seeFIG. 9 ). In the space portion, at least a portion of the manipulationdevice 1000 and the first control board 500 may be housed.

The manipulation device 1000 may include various manipulation switchesfor controlling and manipulating operation of the cooking appliance inthis embodiment. The manipulation device 1000 may be provided to beexposed to a front surface of the door front surface part 350, and theuser may directly manipulate the manipulation device 1000 to controloperation of the cooking appliance.

The first control board 500 is installed inside the door front surfacepart 350. Various components and circuits related to reception ofmanipulation signals input via the manipulation device 1000, generationof control signals for controlling operations of the first heating part400 and the second heating part 600, and the like are provided on thefirst control board 500.

The first control board 500 may be electrically connected to themanipulation device 1000, the first heating part 400, and the secondheating part 600. The first control board 500 is disposed in the doorfront surface part 350 like the manipulation device 1000 and may bedisposed at a position very close to the manipulation device 1000. Thefirst control board 500 may be disposed at a position which is also veryclose to the first heating part 400 disposed on the door 300.

In this embodiment, the manipulation device 1000 may be electricallyconnected to the first control board 500 in the state of being directlymounted on the first control board 500. In this case, each of themanipulation switches included in the manipulation device 1000 may passthrough the door front surface part 350 and connect to the first controlboard 500. Additionally, the first heating part 400 may be electricallyconnected to the manipulation device 1000 and the first control board500 via a cable installed through the inside of the door front surfacepart 350 and the inside of the door upper surface part 310 which areconnected to each other.

That is, since the first control board 500, the manipulation device1000, and the first heating part 400 which need to be electricallyconnected to one another are disposed at positions very close andspatially connected to one another, not only is it possible to easilyand promptly perform a task for electrically connecting the firstcontrol board 500, the manipulation device 1000, and the first heatingpart 400, but also it is possible to maintain a connection structurethereof in a very stable state.

Also, the cooking appliance of the present embodiment may furtherinclude cable mounting parts 340 and 345. The cable mounting parts 340and 345 are disposed between the door upper surface part 310 and thedoor frame 320, which are disposed in the up-down direction, in such away that the cable mounting parts 340 and 345 are disposed at both outersides of the see-through window W.

Further, a connecting member 341 is disposed at each of the front outerside and the rear outer side of the see-through window W. The pair ofconnecting members 341 connect the pair of cable mounting parts 340 and345 spaced apart from each other. That is, the pair of cable mountingparts 340 and 345 and the pair of connecting members 341 may be providedin a square shape surrounding the see-through window W from the outside.

An assembly of the cable mounting parts 340 and 345 and the connectingmembers 341 provided as above is installed in the door upper surfacepart 310 in the form of being inserted into the space portion formedbetween the door upper surface part 310 and the door frame 320.

The inside of the door upper surface part 310 in which the cablemounting parts 340 and 345 are installed as described above is connectedto the inside of the door front surface part 350. Also, cables C1 and C2which connect the first control board 500 and the first heating part 400through the inside of the door upper surface part 310 and the inside ofthe door front surface part 350, which are connected to each other, areinstalled at the cable mounting parts 340 and 345 installed in the doorupper surface part 310.

A power cable C2 which supplies power to the first heating part 400 andthe first control board 500 may be installed at any one of the cablemounting parts 340 and 345 disposed at both outer sides of thesee-through window W. Also, a signal cable C1 which transmits a controlsignal generated in the first control board 500 to the first heatingpart 400 may be installed at the other one of the cable mounting parts340 and 345 disposed at both outer sides of the see-through window W.

That is, in the door 300, the first heating part 400 is respectivelydisposed on both sides of the see-through window W in the front-reardirection, and the power cable C2 and the signal cable C1 arerespectively disposed on both sides of the see-through window W in aleft-right direction.

As a result, the first heating part 400, the power cable C2, and thesignal cable C1 are disposed considering the disposition structure ofthe first heating part 400 and the hinge assembly 800.

In this embodiment, each first heating part 400 is disposed in the formin which a heating element thereof extends longitudinally in theleft-right direction. Also, the hinge assembly 800 (see FIG. 3 ) isdisposed at both sides of the see-through window W in the left-rightdirection.

The power cable C2 and the signal cable C1 are not only connected to thecomponents disposed in the door 300 such as the first heating part 400and the first control board 500, but also connected to the componentsdisposed in the housing 100 such as the second control board 700 (seeFIG. 68 ).

In order to pass through a portion between the door 300 and the housing100 with the least possible exposure to the outside, the power cable C2and the signal cable C1 may pass through the portion in which the hingeassembly 800 is disposed, which is a connecting portion between the door300 and the housing 100.

For example, sections of the power cable C2 and the signal cable C1connecting the housing 100 and the door 300 to each other may bedisposed in the form of passing through the inside of the hinge assembly800. In this way, exposure of the power cable C2 and the signal cable C1to the outside of the cooking appliance may be suppressed in a sectionbetween the housing 100 and the door 300, and the power cable C2 and thesignal cable C1 may be protected from the risk of damage.

Further, considering that the heating element of the first heating part400 extends longitudinally in the left-right direction, the power cableC2 and the signal cable C1 may be disposed at the farthest possible sidefrom the heating element and disposed to extend in a direction differentfrom a direction in which the heating element extends.

This is a result of designing to avoid an influence of heat generated inthe first heating part 400 on the power cable C2 and the signal cableC1. Also, considering that a plurality of first heating parts 400 aredisposed to be spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction,a structure in which the power cable C2 and the signal cable C1 aredisposed at both sides of the first heating parts 400 in the left andright direction may be advantageous for connecting the first heatingparts 400 using the power cable C2 and the signal cable C1.

Also, in the present embodiment, the power cable C2 and the signal cableC1 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the left-rightdirection with the see-through window W disposed therebetween and may beinstalled at the cable mounting parts 340 and 345 different from eachother.

In this case, the power cable C2 passes through the inside of any one ofthe hinge assemblies 800 disposed at both lateral surfaces of thehousing 100 and is installed at the cable mounting parts 340 and 345adjacent thereto. Also, the signal cable C1 passes through the inside ofthe other one of the hinge assemblies 800 disposed at both lateralsurfaces of the housing 100 and is installed at the cable mounting parts340 and 345 adjacent thereto.

For example, the power cable may pass through the inside of the hingeassembly 800 disposed at the left side of the housing 100 and beinstalled at the cable mounting parts 340 and 345 disposed at the leftside of the door 300. Also, the signal cable C1 may pass through theinside of the hinge assembly 800 disposed at the right side of thehousing 100 and be installed at the cable mounting parts 340 and 345disposed at the right side of the door 300.

Through the structure in which the cables having different functions aredisposed at different positions, a wiring task for electricallyconnecting the components constituting the cooking appliance may be moreeasily and promptly performed, and maintenance and repair tasks relatedthereto may also be easily performed.

The cable mounting part 340 and 345 and the connecting member 343 may bedisposed between the first glass 330 and the second glass 335 that arespaced from each other in the up-down direction. That is, the cablemounting part 340 and 345 and the connecting member 343 may be mountedonto the second glass 335, and the first glass 330 may be mounted ontothe cable mounting part 340 and 345 and the connecting member 343 thecable mounting part 340 and 345 and the connecting member 343.

A mounting groove may be formed respectively on the upper surface of thecable mounting part 340 and 345, contacting the first glass 330, and thelower surface of the cable mounting part 340 and 345, contacting thesecond glass 335.

Additionally, a mounting groove may be respectively formed on the uppersurface of the connecting member 343, contacting the first glass 330,and an upper surface of the connection member 343, contacting the secondglass 335.

A sealing member S may be respectively installed in the each of themounting grooves. That is, the sealing member S may be disposedrespectively between the cable mounting part 340 and 345 and the firstglass 330, between the cable mounting part 340 and 345 and the secondglass 335, between the connecting member 343 and the first glass 330,and between the connecting member 343 and the second glass 335.

Accordingly, a sealing structure may be formed among the cable mountingpart 340 and 345, the connecting member 343 and the first glass 330, andamong the cable mounting part 340 and 345, the connecting member 343,and the second glass 335, using the sealing member S.

The sealing structure, formed as described above, may prevent moisturefrom permeating between the glasses 330 and 335, and as a result, mayprevent formation of humidity or dew on the glasses 330 and 335.

[Structure of Manipulation Device]

Referring to FIG. 5 , the manipulation device 1000 may include variousmanipulation switches for controlling and manipulating operation of thecooking appliance in this embodiment.

The manipulation device 1000 may be exposed to the front surface of thedoor front surface part 350, and the user may manipulate themanipulation device 1000 directly to control operation of the cookingappliance.

In an example, the manipulation device 1000 may include a manipulationswitch for selecting the sort and a state of an object to be cooked, amanipulation switch for selecting a cooking degree or cooking time, andthe like.

In another example, the manipulation device 1000 may include amanipulation switch for controlling the turn-on/off or adjusting thermalpower of the first heating part 400 (see FIG. 3 ), a manipulation switchfor controlling the turn-on/off or adjusting thermal power of the secondheating part 600 (see FIG. 3 ), a timer manipulation switch foradjusting operation time of the first heating part 400 or the secondheating part 600, and the like.

In this embodiment, the manipulation device 1000 includes twomanipulation switches, for example. One may be a manipulation switch forselecting the sort and a state of an object to be cooked, and the othermay be a manipulation switch for selecting a cooking degree or cookingtime.

At least one of the manipulation switches may be rotated and pressed formanipulation. In this embodiment, each manipulation switch is rotatedand pressed for manipulation, for example.

Additionally, in this embodiment, the manipulation device 1000 includesmanipulation switches that respectively have identical or similarcomponents, for example. In this case, each of the manipulation switchesmay be configured to provide different functions using the identical orsimilar components.

For example, all the two manipulation switches may be rotated andpressed for manipulation, and one may be a manipulation switch forselecting the sort and a state of an object to be cooked, and the othermay be a manipulation switch for selecting a cooking degree or cookingtime.

Hereunder, one of the two manipulation switches is provided as anexample to describe a configuration of the manipulation device 1000.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state in which a portion of thedoor in FIG. 5 is removed, FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken alongline “XIII-XIII” of FIG. 13 , and FIG. 15 is an exploded perspectiveview showing a configuration of the manipulation device in FIG. 14 .

Referring to FIGS. 13 to 15 , the manipulation device 1000 may include amanipulation switch and the manipulation switch may include a shaft 1100and a knob 1300.

The shaft 1100 may be arranged in an encoder 1200 included in themanipulation device 1000. The shaft 1100 may be formed into a shaft thatextends in the front-rear direction. Additionally, the shaft 1100 maymake one rotation around the shaft in the front-rear direction.

The encoder 1200 may sense a rotation angle of the shaft 1100. In thisembodiment, the encoder 1200 is disposed on the first control board 500,for example. The encoder 1200 may be disposed on the first control board500 and may be disposed in the door front surface part 350.

The encoder 1200 may electrically connect to the first control board500. The encoder 1200 may sense a rotation angle or an axial movement ofthe shaft 1100, and may transmit a signal corresponding to results ofthe sensing to the first control board 500. The first control board 500may generate a control signal for controlling operation of the firstheating part 400 (see FIG. 3 ), the second heating part 600 (see FIG. 3), and a light emitting member 1700 described below, based on a signalreceived from the encoder 1200.

The knob 1300 may be a component rotated by the user for manipulation.The knob 1300 may be coupled to the shaft 1100, and as a result,connected to the shaft 1100. The knob 1300 may connect to the shaft 1100to make a rotation and an axial movement along with the shaft 1100.

The knob 1300 may include a shaft coupling part 1310. The shaft couplingpart 1310 may be formed into a lying cylinder. A shaft coupling hole1311 may be formed in the shaft coupling part 1310. The shaft couplinghole 1311 may be concavely formed in the shaft coupling part 1310, andmay be formed into a shape corresponding to the shape of the shaft 1100.

The shaft coupling hole 1311 may be open toward a rear of the shaftcoupling part 1310. Additionally, a front of the shaft coupling hole1311 may be closed by a front surface of the shaft coupling part 1310. Aposition at which the shaft 1100 coupled to the shaft coupling part 1310is installed and a depth at which the shaft 1100 is inserted may beguided thanks to the shape of the shaft coupling part 1310.

The manipulation device 1000 in this embodiment may further include asocket member 1600. The socket member 1600 may be provided to allow thedoor 300 to support the knob 1300 in a rotatable manner and an axiallymovable manner. The socket member 1600 may be installed in the door 300,specifically, in the door front surface part 350.

The socket member 1600 may be installed in the door front surface part350 in a way that accommodates the encoder 1200, installed in the doorfront surface part 350, in a diameter direction from the outside. Theshaft 1100 connected to the encoder 1200 may protrude forward from thesocket member 1600, passing through an approximate center in thediameter direction of the socket member 1600.

The socket member 1600 may accommodate the encoder 1200 therein, protectthe encoder 1200, support the knob 1300 coupled to the shaft 1100 in thediameter direction from the outside, support the knob 1300 from a rear,define a path of light emitted from a light emitting member 1700described hereunder, and the like.

The manipulation device 1000 in this embodiment may further include alight emitting member 1700. The light emitting member 1700 may bedisposed on the first control board 500, and may be lit and emit lightas a result of control of operations performed through the first controlboard 500.

The light emitting member 1700 may be disposed at a rear of the socketmember 1600. Additionally, the socket member 1600 may have a passage forallowing light emitted from the light emitting member 1700 to passthrough the front of the socket member 1600.

The path of light emitted from the light emitting member 1700 may bedefined by the socket member 1600, and the light may play a role ofdisplaying information on state of the manipulation device 1000, a stateof control over operations performed as a result of manipulation of themanipulations device 1000, and the like.

The manipulation device 1000 in this embodiment may further include alight emitting member 1750 for mood lighting. Each light emitting member1750 for mood lighting may be disposed on the first control board 500,and may be disposed at the rear of the socket member 1600. The lightemitting member 1750 may be disposed further inward in a diameterdirection than the light emitting member 1700.

Light emitted from each light emitting member 1750 may pass through thesocket member 1600 through the passage formed in the socket member 1600and be emitted froma rear of the knob 1300. In this case, the passagemay be formed in a way that passes through a first connecting andsupporting part 1630. Specifically, the passage may be disposedradially, and may be a hole formed among a plurality of rib-shaped parts1633 spaced a predetermined distance apart from one another.

The mood lighting performed by the light emitting member 1750 mayprovide indirect lighting that lights up a rear of the manipulationdevice 1000 instead of directly emitting light to the front of thecooking appliance. The mood lighting may provide welcome lighting thatindicates the manipulation device is ready to be manipulated in anoperation standby state of the cooking appliance.

The mood lighting performed by the light emitting member 1750 mayprovide mood lighting capable of improving an aesthetic quality of themanipulation device and provide lighting enabling manipulation of themanipulation device even in the dark.

[Structure of Socket Member]

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view separately showing the socketmember in FIG. 14 , and FIG. 16 is a front view showing the socketmember in FIG. 15 . FIG. 17 is a side view showing the socket member inFIG. 15 , FIG. 18 is a front view schematically showing a configurationof the first control board in FIG. 14 , and FIG. 19 is a block diagramschematically showing a configuration of the cooking appliance in oneembodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 14 to 19 , the socket member 1600 may include anouter supporter 1610. The outer supporter 1610 may include a surfaceextending in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the outersupporter 1610 is formed into an approximately lying cylinder, forexample. The outer supporter 1610 may be disposed outside the knob 1300in a diameter direction of the knob, and at least a portion of the knob1300 may be inserted into an area encircled by the outer supporter 1610.

The knob 1300 may be coupled to the outer supporter 1610 in a way thatan end on a rear side of the knob 1300 contacts an inner circumferentialsurface of the outer supporter 1610. In this case, the end on the rearside of the knob 1300 may be coupled to the inner circumferentialsurface of the outer supporter 1610 in a slidable manner. Accordingly,the knob 1300 may be supported by the socket member 1600 in a rotatablemanner and an axial movable manner.

The outer supporter 1610 may be provided with an inserting groove 1611on the inner circumferential surface thereof, i.e., an inner surfacethereof adjacent to the end on the rear side of the knob 1300. Theinserting groove 1611 may be concavely formed on the innercircumferential surface of the outer supporter 1610 in a centrifugaldirection. The end on the rear side of the knob 1300 may be insertedinto the inserting groove 1611. Accordingly, the knob 1300 and thesocket member 1600 may be coupled. Description in relation to this isprovided hereunder.

Additionally, the socket member 1600 may further include an innersupporter 1620. The inner supporter 1620 may include a surface extendingin the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the inner supporter1620 is formed into an approximately lying cylinder, for example. Theinner supporter 1620 may be disposed inside the outer supporter 1610 ina diameter direction of the outer supporter 1610.

The inner supporter 1620 may be disposed between the encoder 1200 andthe outer supporter 1610. The encoder 1200 may be inserted into an areaencircled by the inner supporter 1620. That is, the inner supporter 1620may be provided in a way theta the inner supporter 1620 encircles theencoder 1200 in the outer supporter 1610.

The socket member 1600 may further include a first connecting andsupporting part 1630 that supports the outer supporter 1610 and theinner supporter 1620. The first connecting and supporting part 1630 mayconnect the outer supporter 1610 and the inner supporter 1620 andsupport the outer supporter 1610 and the inner supporter 1620.

The first connecting and supporting part 1630 may be disposed at rearsof the outer supporter 1610 and the inner supporter 1620. The firstconnecting and supporting part 1630 may form a rear surface of thesocket member 1600, and support the outer supporter 1610 and the innersupporter 1620 at the rears of the outer supporter 1610 and the innersupporter 1620.

In this embodiment, the socket member 1600 may be coupled to the firstcontrol board 500 installed in the door front surface part 350 whilebeing installed in the door front surface part 350. In this case, thefirst connecting and supporting part 1630 forming the rear surface ofthe socket member 1600 may be a coupling surface in contact with thefirst control board 500 when the socket member 1600 is mounted onto thefirst control board 500.

The first connecting and supporting part 1630 may include aflange-shaped part 1631 and a rib-shaped part 1633. The flange-shapedpart 1631 may protrude from the inner supporter 1620 in the centrifugaldirection. The flange-shaped part 1631 may be formed into a flange thatprotrudes from the inner supporter 1620.

The rib-shaped part 1633 may connect the flange-shaped part 1631 and theouter supporter 1610. The rib-shaped part 1633 may be formed into a ribthat protrudes from the flange-shaped part 1631 in the centrifugaldirection, A plurality of rib-shaped parts 1633 may be radially disposedbetween the flange-shaped part 1631 and the outer supporter 1610. Therib-shaped parts 1633 formed as described above may effectively increasethe entire strength of the socket member 1600 while suppressing anincrease in the entire weight of the socket member 1600.

The inner supporter 1620 may be disposed at the rear of the shaftcoupling part 1310 of the knob 1300. The inner supporter 1620 maysupport the shaft coupling part 1310 of the knob 1300, which movesrearward, from the rear to suppress an excessive movement of the knob1300, thereby preventing an excessive load applied to the shaft 1100 andthe encoder 1200.

Additionally, while the inner supporter 1620 may be supported by thefirst connecting and supporting part 1630, a certain degree ofelasticity may be applied between the inner supporter 1620 and the firstconnecting and supporting part 1630.

In this embodiment, the socket member 1600 may be made of a plasticmaterial, and the outer supporter 1610, the inner supporter 1620 and thefirst connecting and supporting part 1630 may be integrally formed.

A skirt-shaped part 1635 may connect between the flange-shaped part 1631and the rib-shaped part 1633 of the first connecting and supporting part1630. The skirt-shaped part 1635 may protrude rearward from an outercircumferential surface of the flange-shaped part 1631. Accordingly, theflange-shaped part 1631 and the rib-shaped part 1633 may connect in a “

” shape, and elasticity may be applied between the inner supporter 1620and the first connecting and supporting part 1630 and between the outersupporter 1610 and the first connecting and supporting part 1630.

Thus, when the inner supporter 1620 is pressed rearward as a result ofpressing the knob 1300, the inner supporter 1620 may stably suppress arearward movement of the knob 1300 while elastically supporting the knob1300. Further, the inner supporter 1620 may apply a force, needed toreturn the knob 1300 to a primary position, to the knob 1300 while theinner supporter 1620 returns to a primary state when the knob 1300 isreleased from a force of pressing the knob 1300.

The socket member 1600 may be provided with a light passing hole 1640.The light passing hole 1640 may be formed in a way that passes throughthe socket member 1600, specifically, the outer supporter 1610 in thefront-rear direction. The light passing hole 1640 may be disposed at aposition where the light passing hole 1640 and the light emitting member1700 disposed on the first control board 500 overlap in the front-reardirection.

In this embodiment, a plurality of light emitting members 1700 may bedisposed on the first control board 500. The light emitting member 1700may be disposed at a position where the light emitting member 1700 andthe outer supporter 1610 overlap in the front-rear direction while beingdisposed behind the outer supporter 1610. That is, the plurality oflight emitting members 1700 may be disposed behind the outer supporter1610 along a perimeter direction of the outer supporter 1610.

The outer supporter 1610 may be provided with a plurality of lightpassing holes 1640, and the plurality of light passing holes 1640 may bedisposed at a position where the plurality of light passing holes 1640and the plurality of light emitting members 1700 overlap in thefront-rear direction. The light emitting members 1700 and the lightpassing holes 1640 may be arranged in a way that one light emittingmember 1700 is inserted into one light passing hole 1640.

Accordingly, light emitted from each of the light emitting members 1700may pass through the socket member 1600 through each of the lightpassing holes 1640 disposed in front of each of the light emittingmembers 1700 and may be emitted forward. That is, a path of movement ofthe light emitted by each of the light emitting members 1700 may be ledby each of the light passing holes 1640 disposed in front of each of thelight emitting members 1700. Accordingly, a brightened light emittingmember 1700 of the plurality of light emitting members 1700 may besurely ascertained outside the manipulation device 1000.

Additionally, the socket member 1600 may further include a firstcoupling part 1420. The first coupling part 1420 may include a firstprotruding projection 1651 and a first coupling projection 1653. Thefirst protruding projection 1651 may protrude from the outer supporter1610 in the centrifugal direction. The first coupling projection 1653may protrude rearward from the first protruding projection 1651.

The first coupling projection 1653 may be fitted-coupled to a fittinghole 510 formed on the first control board 500, and accordingly, thesocket member 1600 and the first control board 500 may be coupled.

A position of the first coupling part 1420 on the socket member 1600 maybe determined considering the position of the light passing hole 1640and the position of the light emitting member 1700. That is, when thefirst coupling projection 1653 is fitted-coupled to the fitting hole 510of the first control board 500, the first coupling part 1420 may bepreferably disposed at a position where the positions of the pluralityof light passing holes 1640 and the positions of the plurality of lightemitting members 1700 are aligned in the front-rear direction.

Thus, the first coupling part 1420 may guide the socket member 1600 onthe first control board 500 to a position at which the socket member1600 is installed. That is, the socket member 1600 may be guided to apredetermined position only by fitted-coupling the first coupling part1420 to the first control board 500.

The socket member 1600 may further include a second coupling part 1660.The second coupling part 1660 may include a second protruding projection1661 and a second coupling projection 1663. The second protrudingprojection 1661 may protrude from the outer supporter 1610 in thecentrifugal direction. The second coupling projection 1663 may protrudefrom the second protruding projection 1661 forward.

The second coupling part 1660 may be provided for a coupling between afront surface cover member 1800 described below and the socket member1600. The second protruding projection 1661 may be fitted-coupled to thefront surface cover member 1800. Accordingly, the front surface covermember 1800 and the socket member 1600 may be coupled.

The socket member 1600 may be provided with a plurality of firstcoupling parts 1420 and a plurality of second coupling parts 1660. Inthis embodiment, the socket member 1600 may be provided with two firstcoupling parts 1420 and four second coupling parts 1660, for example,but not limited. The number of the first coupling parts 1420 and thesecond coupling parts 1660 may increase or decrease when necessary.

Additionally, the socket member 1600 may further include a thirdcoupling part 1670. The third coupling part 1670 may protrude from thefirst connecting and supporting part 1630, specifically, theflange-shaped part 1631 rearward. The third coupling part 1670 may beformed into a hook.

The third coupling part 1670 may be fitted-coupled to the first controlboard 500 through a fastening hole 520 formed on the first control board500, and accordingly, the socket member 1600 may be fixed to the firstcontrol board 500.

The socket member 1600 may be provided with a plurality of thirdcoupling parts 1670. The plurality of third coupling parts 1670 may bespaced a predetermined distance apart from each other along a perimeterdirection of the flange-shaped part 1631. The plurality of thirdcoupling parts 1670 disposed as described above may be coupled to thefirst control board 500 at a plurality of points, such that the socketmember 1600 and the first control board 500 may be stably coupled.

[Structure of Knob]

Referring to FIGS. 12 to 14 , the knob 1300 may be a component for theuser to rotate for manipulation, and connect to the shaft 1100 throughthe shaft coupling part 1310. The knob 1300 may further include a skirtpart 1320.

The skirt part 1320 may be disposed outside the shaft coupling part 1310in the diameter direction. The skirt part 1320 may include a surfaceextending in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the skirtpart 1320 is formed in to a cylinder having a hollow hole. The knob 1300including the shaft coupling part 1310 and the skirt part 1320 may beformed in a way that the shaft coupling part 1310 and the skirt part1320 form a concentric circle.

The knob 1300 may further include a second connecting and supportingpart 1330. The second connecting and supporting part 1330 may bedisposed at the rear of the shaft coupling part 1310 and formed into acircular plate connecting between the shaft coupling part 1310 and theskirt part 1320 from the rear of the shaft coupling part 1310.

The second connecting and supporting part 1330 formed as described abovemay enable the shaft coupling part 1310 and the skirt part 1320 toconnect to each other, and support the skirt part 1320 such that theskirt part 1320 is not dent in a radial direction.

The second connecting and supporting part 1330 may be disposed near thefront of the inner supporter 1620 included in the socket member 1600,and when the knob 1300 moves rearward, may be a portion pressing theinner supporter 1620 rearward.

The manipulation device 1000 in this embodiment may further include aknob cover 1350. The knob cover 1350 may be formed into a cylinderhaving a rear open. The knob cover 1350 may be coupled to an outercircumferential surface of the skirt part 1320 and encircle the knob1300 from the outside in the diameter direction.

In this embodiment, a coupling groove 1321 may be formed on the outercircumferential surface of the skirt part 1320. The coupling groove 1321may be concave from the outer circumferential surface of the skirt part1320 in the radial direction. The knob cover 1350 may be mounted ontothe skirt part 1320 in a state of being inserted into the couplinggroove 1321.

In this case, the knob cover 1350 may be disposed at the knob 1300 in away that the knob cover 1350 is not exposed from the skirt part 1320 inthe centrifugal direction. That is, the knob cover 1350 may be formed atthe skirt part 1320 in a way that the knob cover 1350 forms the sameflat surface as a centrifuge-wise outer most surface of the skirt part1320 adjacent to the knob cover 1350.

The knob cover 1350 may include a front surface part 1360 and a lateralsurface part 1370. The front surface part 1360 may include a surfacecrossing a shaft extending in the front-rear direction.

A front surface of the front surface part 1360 may be disposed at thesame height as the front surface of the door front surface part 350. Arear surface of the front surface part 1360 may contact ends on frontsides of the shaft coupling part 1310 and the skirt part 1320 when theknob cover 1350 is disposed at the knob 1300. As the rear surface of thefront surface part 1360 contacts the ends on the front sides of theshaft coupling part 1310 and the skirt part 1320, a front-rear positionof the knob cover 1350 disposed at the knob 1300 may be guided.

The knob cover 1350 may be a portion held by the user's hand tomanipulate the knob 1300 and forming an exterior of the knob 1300.Accordingly, the knob cover 1350 needs to be made of a materialappropriate for the user to hold and manipulate the knob and needs toprovide aesthetic qualities.

In this embodiment, an outer circumferential surface of the lateralsurface part 1370, forming an exterior of the lateral surface of theknob cover 1350, may be disposed at the same height as the outercircumferential surface of the skirt part 1320, which is not covered bythe knob cover 1350. Additionally, the front surface of the frontsurface part 1360, forming an exterior of the front surface of the knobcover 1350, may be disposed at the same height as a front surface of apressing part 1410 of a button 1400.

Thus, the manipulation device 1000 in this embodiment may have a simpleand smooth exterior since the manipulation device 1000 itself has noportion protruding convexly or being dent concavely, thereby ensuringaesthetic qualities that can improve the user's satisfaction.

[Structure of Front Surface Cover Member]

The manipulation device 1000 in this embodiment may further include afront surface cover member 1800. The front surface cover member 1800 maybe disposed outside the knob 1300 in the diameter direction of the knob1300. Additionally, the front surface cover member 1800 may be disposedin front of the door front surface part 1360 to be exposed to the frontof the door 300.

The front surface cover member 1800 may be disposed outside the knob1300 in the diameter direction of the knob 1300 in a way that encirclesthe knob 1300 from the outside in the diameter direction thereof. Inthis embodiment, the front surface cover member 1800 is formed into aring that encircles the knob 1300 from the outside in the diameterdirection, for example.

The front surface cover member 1800 may be disposed at the front of thesocket member 1600, and coupled to the front of the socket member 1600.The front surface cover member 1800 may shield the socket member 1600,specifically, an outer support portion 1610 at the front of the socketmember 1600.

The front surface cover member 1800, formed into a ring, may have ashape corresponding to a shape of the outer support portion 1610 seenfrom the front. The front surface cover member 1800 may be coupled tothe socket member 1600 and cover the outer support portion 1610 from thefront. Accordingly, a front of the light passing hole 1640 formed in theouter support portion 1610 may be shielded by the front surface covermember 1800, such that the light passing hole 1640 and the lightemitting member 1700 at the rear of the light passing hole 1640 may becovered by the front surface cover member 1800 and not be seen from theoutside.

Additionally, the front surface cover member 1800 may be made of a lighttransmitting material or a semi-light transmitting material. In thisembodiment, the front surface cover member 1800 is made of a semi-lighttransmitting material having metal texture, for example. The frontsurface cove member 1800 may prevent the socket member 1600, the lightpassing hole 1640 formed at the socket member 1600, and the lightemitting member 1700 from being exposed to the outside, and may allowlight emitted from the light emitting member 1700 to have a softlydiffused glow.

That is, the front surface cover member 1800 may be used as a finishingmaterial that covers a portion, which would otherwise be exposed to theoutside of the door 300 and deteriorate an aesthetic quality, to providean aesthetic quality, may have metal texture to make the finishingportion look more exquisite, and may allow light shining through theportion to have a softly diffused glow.

The front surface cover member 1800 may provide an aesthetic quality tothe manipulation device 1000 and the area around the manipulationdevice, and may make a display light of the manipulation device 1000look more soft and beautiful.

Each of the light emitting members 1700 may be lit in association with arotation of the shaft 1100.

In an example, as a result of rotation of the shaft 1100, a lightemitting member 1700 in response to the rotation may be lit, and whenthe shaft 1100 continues to rotate, another light emitting member 1700in response to the rotation may be lit.

The rotation of the shaft 1100 may be detected by the encoder 1200.Information on the rotation of the shaft 1100, obtained by the encoder1200, may be generated as a manipulation signal, and a controller on thefirst control board 500 may receive the information and control theturn-on of the light emitting member 1700.

The front surface cover member 1800 and the socket member 1600 may befitted-coupled. To this end, the front surface cover member 1800 may beprovided with a coupling boss 1810. The coupling boss 1810 may protrudefrom the front surface cover member 1800 rearward.

The second coupling part 1660, specifically, the second protrudingprojection 1661 of the socket member 1600 may be fitted-coupled to thecoupling boss 1810. Based on the coupling between the coupling boss 1810and the second coupling part 1660, the front surface cover member 1800and the socket member 1600 may be coupled.

The front surface cover member 1800 may be provided with a plurality ofcoupling bosses 1810. In this case, the number and positions of thecoupling bosses 1810 may be determined to correspond to the number andpositions of the second coupling parts 1660.

The socked member 1600, coupled to the front surface cover member 1800,may be provided with an inserting groove 1611. The inserting groove 1611may be concavely formed on the inner circumferential surface of theouter supporter 1610 in the centrifugal direction.

In response, the knob 1300 may be provided with a projection 1340. Theprojection 1340 may protrude from the end of the rear side of the skirtpart 1320 in the centrifugal direction. The projection 134, formed asdescribed above, may be inserted into the inserting groove 1611, andthus, may be coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the outersupporter 1610 in a slidable manner.

In this embodiment, the inserting groove 1611 may be open toward theinside and the front of the socket member 1600. Additionally, the frontsurface cover member 1800 may be disposed at the front of the socketmember 1600 and shield the open front of the inserting groove 1611. Theprojection 1340 may be inserted into a space encircled by the insertinggroove 1611 and the front surface cover member 1800.

The projection 1340 may be inserted into the inserting groove 1611through the open front of the inserting groove 1611, and the knob 1300may be disposed at the socket member 1600 in a way that the knob canmove in the front-rear direction. Additionally, the front surface covermember 1800 may be disposed at the front of the socket member 1600 atwhich the knob 1300 is disposed such that the knob 1300 is preventedfrom moving forward and from escaping.

[Structure of Hinge Assembly]

Referring to FIG. 3 , the hinge assembly 800 may be disposedrespectively in both lateral portions of the housing 100. In otherwords, the hinge assembly 800 may be disposed respectively on both sidesof the housing 100 in the left-right direction thereof such that thehinge assembly 800 is disposed respectively on both outer sides of thetray 200 in the left-right direction thereof. The rear side of the doorupper surface part 310 may be swivably coupled to the hinge assembly 800being respectively disposed in both lateral portions of the housing 100.

That is, the left edge and right edge portions at the rear side of thedoor upper surface part 310 are swivably coupled respectively to thehinge assembly 800 being respectively disposed in both of the lateralportions of the hosing 100. The door 300 opens and closes the uppersurface and the front surface of the housing 100, swiveling in theup-down direction with respect to the rear side of the door uppersurface part 310, which is swivably coupled to the hinge assembly 800 asdescribed above.

Each hinge assembly 800 may include a hinge case 830, a hinge part 810and a holding projection 820.

The hinge case 830 forms the exterior of the hinge assembly 800.Additionally, the hinge case 830 may accommodate a portion of the hingepart 810. In the hinge case 830, various types of structures forsupporting the hinge part 810, a cooling channel 850 (see FIG. 53 )described below and the like may be formed.

The hinge part 810 may be installed in the hinge case 830 in a way thatthe hinge part 810 changes its position. The hinge part 810 may beinstalled in the hinge case 830 in a way that the hinge part 810 canswivel along a trajectory corresponding to a swivel trajectory of thedoor 300. The upper end of the hinge part 810 may be coupled to the door300. The hinge part 810 being coupled to the door 300 as described abovemay change its posture by interlocking with the swivel of the door 300.The swivel trajectory and range of the door 300 being coupled to thehinge part 810 may be guided by the hinge part 810.

[Structure for Suppressing Fall of Cooking Appliance]

The cooking appliance of the present embodiment includes various formsof configurations for preventing the cooking appliance from fallingover.

Hereinafter, configurations for preventing the cooking appliance fromfalling over when the door 300 is opened will be described in detail.

FIG. 20 is a view illustrating a center-of-mass change state in thedoor-opened state of the cooking appliance.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and to 20, the hinge part 810 is disposed at boththe lateral surfaces 120 and 130 of the housing 100 in such a way thatthe hinge part 810 is disposed at sides adjacent to the rear surface 140of the housing 100. That is, the hinge part 810 is disposed at the rearof both sides of the housing 100.

The hinge part 810 is coupled to the door 300 in such a way that thehinge part 810 is coupled to the rear side of the door upper surfacepart 310. That is, the hinge part 810 is coupled to the rear of eachsides of the door upper surface part 310, and the door 300 may open orclose the cooking space 105 by rotating in the up-down direction aboutthe rear side of the door upper surface part 310 coupled to the hingepart 810 as described above.

The door 300 may rotate about the rear side of the door upper surfacepart 310 such that, in a state in which the front surface and the uppersurface of the housing 100 are opened (hereinafter referred to as“opened state”), the door 300 is located further behind than in a statein which the front surface and the upper surface of the housing 100 areclosed (hereinafter referred to as “closed state”).

By the door 300 rotating about the rear side of the door upper surfacepart 310 as described above, the position of the door 300 may be furtherbiased toward the rear in the opened state than in the closed state.

The door 300 whose position is relatively further biased toward the rearin the opened state as described above may cause the center of gravityof the cooking appliance to be biased toward the rear from the center ofthe cooking appliance in the front-rear direction when the door 300 isin the opened state.

That is, the first configuration provided for preventing the cookingappliance from falling over when the door 300 is opened is allowing thedoor 300 to rotate about the rear side of the door upper surface part310. Accordingly, the position of the door 300 may be further biasedtoward the rear in the opened state than in the closed state, and, inthis way, the center of gravity of the cooking appliance may be formedto be biased toward the rear from the center of the cooking appliance inthe front-rear direction (G₁→G₁′) when the door 300 is in the openedstate.

Meanwhile, when looking at the configuration of the door 300 itself, thedoor 300 is provided in which the up-down length of the door frontsurface part 350 is shorter than the front-rear length of the door uppersurface part 310. That is, when the door 300 is in the closed state, theup-down length of the door front surface part 350 is shorter than thefront-rear length of the door upper surface part 310.

Accordingly, in the door 300, the proportion occupied by the volume ofthe door upper surface part 310 is larger than the proportion occupiedby the volume of the door front surface part 350. Accordingly, in thetotal weight of the door 300, the proportion occupied by the weight ofthe door upper surface part 310 is larger than the proportion occupiedby the weight of the door front surface part 350. Accordingly, thecenter of gravity of the door 300 may be placed more eccentrically tothe rear than to the front-rear center of the door 300 (G₂→G₂′).

When the door 300 is rotated rearward to be opened, the center ofgravity of the door 300 gradually moves rearward. In the door 300, thedoor front surface part 350 is disposed at the front side, and the doorupper surface part 310 is disposed behind the door front surface part350.

Accordingly, the larger the proportion occupied by the weight of thedoor upper surface part 310 with respect to the total weight of the door300, the greater the extent to which the center of gravity of the door300 moves rearward when the door 300 rotates rearward.

In other words, the greater the proportion occupied by the weight of thedoor upper surface part 310 with respect to the total weight of the door300, the easier it is for the center of gravity of the door 300 topromptly move rearward when the door 300 rotates rearward. Since thecenter of gravity of the door 300 moves to the rear, the center ofgravity of the cooking appliance may entirely move to the rear morerapidly.

That is, the second configuration provided for preventing the cookingappliance from falling over when the door 300 is opened is providing thedoor 300 in which the up-down length of the door front surface part 350is shorter than the front-rear length of the door upper surface part310. Accordingly, when the door 300 rotates rearward, the center ofgravity of the door 300, and thus the center of gravity of the cookingappliance may move further rearward more promptly.

Meanwhile, the first heating part 400 and the see-through window W areprovided in the door 300, and the first heating part 400 and thesee-through window W are disposed in the door upper surface part 310.

As described above, the see-through window W may include a pair ofglasses 330 and 335 (see FIG. 11 ). Generally, glasses are formed of aheavyweight material. Therefore, when the see-through window W formed ofglass is disposed in the door upper surface part 310, the weight of thedoor upper surface part 310 is inevitably increased as much as theweight of the see-through window W.

Furthermore, the see-through window W of the present embodiment mayinclude a pair of glasses 330 and 335, i.e., two layers of glasses.Therefore, the weight of the door upper surface part 310 is inevitablyincreased as much as the weight of the see-through window W.

Since the see-through window W is disposed in the door upper surfacepart 310 as described above, the proportion occupied by the weight ofthe door upper surface part 310 with respect to the total weight of thedoor 300 is increased as much as the weight of the glasses forming thesee-through window W.

Accordingly, when the door 300 rotates rearward, the center of gravityof the door 300, and thus the center of gravity of the cooking appliancemay more promptly move further rearward as much as the increase in theweight of the door upper surface part 310 due to the see-through windowW.

Further, the pair of first heating parts 400 are disposed at the bottomsurface side of the door upper surface part 310. In this case, the firstheating part 400 is disposed at each of the front outer side and therear outer side of the see-through window W. One of the pair of firstheating parts 400 is disposed at the rear side of the door upper surfacepart 310 adjacent to the hinge part 810.

Since the first heating part 400 is disposed in the door upper surfacepart 310 as described above, the proportion occupied by the weight ofthe door upper surface part 310 with respect to the total weight of thedoor 300 is further increased as much as the weight of the first heatingpart 400.

Accordingly, when the door 300 rotates rearward, the center of gravityof the door 300, and thus the center of gravity of the cooking appliancemay more promptly move further rearward as much as the increase in theweight of the door upper surface part 310 due to the first heating part400.

Furthermore, due to the first heating part 400 disposed at the rear sideof the door upper surface part 310 adjacent to the hinge part 810, thecenter of gravity of the door 300 may move further rearward. In thisway, when the door 300 rotates rearward, the center of gravity of thedoor 300, and thus the center of gravity of the cooking appliance maymore promptly move further rearward.

That is, the third configuration provided for preventing the cookingappliance from falling over when the door 300 is opened is placing thefirst heating part 400 and the see-through window W in the door uppersurface part 310. Accordingly, when the door 300 rotates rearward, thecenter of gravity of the door 300 may more promptly move furtherrearward.

In summary, the door 300 of the present embodiment is provided in whichthe position of the door 300 moves rearward when the door 300 rotatesrearward, the up-down length of the door front surface part 350 isshorter than the front-rear length of the door upper surface part 310,and the first heating part 400 and the see-through window W are disposedin the door upper surface part 310.

The door 300 is provided so that, when the cooking space 105 is openedand the tray 200 is withdrawn forward as a result, the door 300 itselfis moved toward the rear of the cooking appliance, and the center ofgravity of the door 300 promptly moves rearward according to therearward rotation of the door 300.

Since the door 300 provided as described above causes the center ofgravity of the cooking appliance to be biased toward the rear from thecenter in the front-rear direction when the cooking space 105 is openedand the tray 200 is withdrawn forward as a result, the door 300 maycontribute to significantly lowering the risk of the occurrence of thecooking appliance's falling over.

Meanwhile, the door 300 rotates about the rear side of the door uppersurface part 310 coupled to the hinge part 810. When the door 300 is inthe opened state, most of the load of the door 300 acts toward the hingepart 810.

Since the hinge part 810 is disposed at the rear side of the cookingappliance, when the door 300 is in the opened state, most of the load ofthe door 300 is concentrated on the rear side of the cooking appliance.

Therefore, when the door 300 is in the opened state, the center ofgravity of the cooking appliance moves toward the rear side of thecooking appliance to the extent that most of the load of the door 300 isconcentrated on the rear side of the cooking appliance.

In other words, when the door 300 is in the opened state, in addition tothe influence of the change in the position of the door 300 itself andthe change in the center of gravity of the door 300 itself, anadditional influence is caused by most of the load of the door 300 beingconcentrated on the rear side of the cooking appliance. In this way, thecenter of gravity of the cooking appliance may be further biased towardthe rear side.

That is, the fourth configuration provided for preventing the cookingappliance from falling over when the door 300 is opened is aconfiguration in which a coupling point between the door 300 and thehinge part 810 is disposed at the rear side of the cooking appliance sothat an additional influence is caused by most of the load of the door300 being concentrated on the rear side of the cooking appliance.

The size of the moment acting from the door 300 may be determined by aforce acting on the door 300 and a distance between a position on whichthe force acts and a rotation shaft (portion where the door and thehinge part are coupled to each other). In this case, only gravity actson the door 300 unless a separate force is applied thereto. Sincegravity acts on the entire part of the door 300, it can be seen thatgravity acts on the center of gravity of the door 300. Therefore, themoment increases (M₁) as the center of gravity of the door 300 movesaway from the portion where the door 300 and the hinge part 810 arecoupled to each other and decreases (M₂) as the center of gravity of thedoor 300 approaches the portion where the door 300 and the hinge part810 are coupled to each other.

In this embodiment, as the door 300 rotates rearward to open the cookingspace 105, the center of gravity of the door 300 also moves rearward,and, as a result, the size of the moment acting from the door 300 may bedecreased together (M₁→M₂).

That is, when the door 300 is in the opened state, the moment actingfrom the door 300 may relatively decrease.

In this way, since the cooking appliance of the present embodimentallows the size of the moment acting on the cooking appliance due to thedoor 300 to be decreased, the risk of the cooking appliance's fallingover may be significantly lowered.

That is, the fifth configuration provided for preventing the cookingappliance from falling over when the door 300 is opened is aconfiguration in which the center of gravity of the door 300 is allowedto be more biased toward the rear so that the size of the moment actingon the cooking appliance due to the door 300 is decreased.

[Disposition Structure of Components of Door]

In this embodiment, the manipulation device 1000 and the first controlboard 500 may be disposed in the door front surface part 350, and thesee-through window W and the first heating part 400 may be disposed inthe door upper surface part 350.

The above disposition structure is designed to improve the convenienceand safety of the cooking appliance as much as possible rather thanselected in an arbitrary manner.

Accordingly, the manipulation device 1000 may be disposed in the doorfront surface part 350 rather than the door upper surface part 310. Thesee-through window W may be disposed in the door upper surface part 310.Since the see-through window W takes up most of the area of the doorupper surface part 310, there is not enough space for the manipulationdevice 1000 in the door upper surface part 310.

Considering most of the area of the door upper surface part 310 iscovered by the glass 330, there is not enough space for the manipulationdevice 1000 in the door upper surface part 310.

The first heating part 400 may be disposed in the door upper surfacepart 310 in addition to the see-through window W. The first heating part400 may be a heat-generating component that generates high-temperatureheat, and most of the area of the door upper surface part 310 may becovered with the glass 330 to suppress an increase in the temperature ofan outer surface of the door upper surface part contacted by the user.

Since the glass 330 has a thermal conductivity lower than that of ametallic material forming the skeleton of the exterior of the door 300,when most of the area of the upper surface of the door upper surfacepart 310 is covered with the glass 330, an increase in the temperatureof the outer surface of the door upper surface part 310 contacted by theuser, which is caused by heat generated by the first heating part 400and the like, may be suppressed as much as possible.

Even if the glass 330 only covers the see-through widow W instead ofcovering most of the area of the door upper surface part 310, themanipulation device 1000 may be limitedly installed in the outer area ofthe see-through window W in the direction of the flat surface of thesee-through window W.

However, when the manipulation device 1000 is installed in the outerarea, the manipulation device 1000 may be exposed to high-temperatureheat since the outer area is right above the first heating part 400.

The manipulation device 1000, installed in such an environment, mayadversely affect each of the manipulation switches constituting themanipulation device 1000, a cable electrically connected to each of themanipulation switches or various types of electronic components.

Additionally, the temperature of the door upper surface part 310 may behigher than that of the door front surface part 350 due to the featurein which heat goes up. Further, considering that the first heating part400 is disposed in the door upper surface part 310, the temperature ofmost of the area of the door upper surface part 310 may be higher thanthat of the door front surface part 350.

In this case, the manipulation device 1000, disposed in the door uppersurface part 310, may adversely affect the manipulation device 1000itself, and may cause burns of the user who contacts the door uppersurface part 310 during the user's manipulation.

The first heating part 400 may be disposed in the door upper surfacepart 310. Specifically, the first heating part 400 may be disposed inthe upper portion to face the second heating part 600 with the tray 200between the first heating part 400 and the second heating part 600. Whenthe first heating part 400 is disposed over the tray 200, the firstheating part may evenly heat a food item on the tray 200 from above. Tothis end, the first heating part 400 needs to be disposed in the doorupper surface part 310.

When the see-through window W is disposed in the upper portion of thecooking appliance, the user may look into the cooking space 105 fromabove through the see-through window W formed in the upper portion ofthe cooking appliance. Accordingly, the user may check the state inwhich the food item is cooked conveniently and readily with no need tobend the user's knees or lean forward. To this end, the see-throughwindow W needs to be disposed in the door upper surface part 310.

That is, considering various factors, the first heating part 400 and thesee-through window 400 may be preferably disposed in the door uppersurface part 310, and thus, most of the area of the door upper surfacepart 310 may be occupied by the first heating part 400 and thesee-through window 400.

Accordingly, the manipulation device 1000 may be disposed in the doorfront surface part 350 rather than the door upper surface part 310. Theuser ordinarily uses the cooking appliance in the state in which theuser faces the cooking appliance. When the manipulation device 1000 isdisposed in the door front surface part 350 that is a surface facing theuser, the user may recognize the manipulation device 1000 more readilyand may manipulate the manipulation device 1000 more conveniently andreadily.

Components of great volume may not be installed in the door frontsurface part 350 unlike the door upper surface part 310. That is, partssuch as the see-through window 400 or the first heating part 400, whichare heavy and have a large size, may not be installed in the door frontsurface part 350. Accordingly, the inside of the door front surface part350 has a greater spared space than the door upper surface part 310does.

The first control board 500 may be disposed in a space portion in thedoor front surface part 350. Advantages of the structure, in which thefirst control board 500 is installed in the door front surface part 350,are described as follows.

The first control board 500 may be provided with various components,circuits and the like in relation to receipt of a manipulation signalinput through the manipulation device 1000, generation of a controlsignal for controlling operations of the first heating part 400 and thesecond heating part 600, and the like.

When the first control board 500 is installed in the door front surfacepart 350, the manipulation device 1000 and the first control board 500may be very close to each other. The first control board 500 is acomponent that has to electrically connect to the manipulation device1000 to receive a manipulation signal input through the manipulationdevice 1000.

When the first control board 500 is disposed very close to themanipulation device 1000, the first control board 500 and themanipulation device 1000 may electrically connect effectively andreadily. In this embodiment, the manipulation device 1000 mayelectrically connect to the first control board 500 in a way that themanipulation device 1000 is directly mounted onto the first controlboard 500. Accordingly, the manipulation device 1000 and the firstcontrol board 500 may connect to each other efficiently.

Additionally, the first control board 500 installed in the door frontsurface part 350 may also be disposed very close to the first heatingpart 400. Accordingly, the first heating part 400 and the first controlboard 500 may electrically connect to each other efficiently andreadily.

When the manipulation device 1000 is disposed in the door front surfacepart 500 as illustrated in this embodiment, the size, number, positionand the like of the manipulation device 1000 may be freely designedsince the manipulation device 1000 is disposed in the portion that has agreater space than that of the door upper surface part 310 which doesnot have enough space for installing the manipulation device 1000, andthe manipulation device 1000 may be less affected by high-temperature,thereby ensuring improvement in the reliability in the operation and useof the cooking appliance and electrically connecting the manipulationdevice 1000 and the first control board 500 and the first heating part400 efficiently and readily.

When the see-through window W and the first heating part 400 aredisposed in the door upper surface part 310 and the manipulation device1000 and the first control board 500 are disposed in the door frontsurface part 350, as described above, relatively heavy parts may bedisposed in the door upper surface part 310, and relatively lightweightparts may be disposed in the door front surface part 350.

That is, the relatively heavy see-through window W and first heatingpart 400 may be disposed in the door upper surface part 310, and therelatively lightweight manipulation device 1000 and first control board500 may be disposed in the door front surface part 350. Accordingly, thedoor upper surface part 310 may be heavier than the door front surfacepart 350, and the center of gravity of the door 300 may shift to therear side of the door 300.

Further, in the door 300, the up-down length of the door front surfacepart 350 may be less than the front-rear length of the door uppersurface part 310. Accordingly, the center of gravity of the door 300 mayshift to the rear side of the door 300 definitely.

Additionally, when the door 300 is open, most of the load of the door300 may be applied intensively to the rear side of the cooking appliancesince the hinge part 810 is disposed on the rear side of the cookingappliance.

Accordingly, in the state in which the door 300 is open, the center ofgravity of the cooking appliance may shift to the rear side of thecooking appliance as much as the load of the door 300 intensivelyapplied to the rear side of the cooking appliance.

Thus, even when the door is opened, it is unlikely that the center ofgravity of the cooking appliance shifts forward, the cooking appliancemay be prevented from falling, thereby ensuring improvement in safetyand usability of the cooking appliance.

In this embodiment, the manipulation device 1000 may be disposed at thedoor 300 rather than in the housing 100, as described above.

In this embodiment, the door 300 may include a door upper surface part310 disposed on the upper side thereof and the door front surface part350 disposed on the front side thereof. Additionally, the see-throughwindow W, which is a component taking up most of the area of the door ina cooking appliance of the related art, may be disposed in the doorupper surface part 310. Accordingly, the door front surface part 350 mayhave enough space for installing the manipulation device 100.

Additionally, since components such as the see-through window W and thefirst heating part 400 may not be disposed in the door front surfacepart 350, an enough space portion for installing the first control board500, a component that needs to be disposed close to the manipulationdevice 1000, may be formed in the door front surface part 350.

The cooking appliance in this embodiment may create an environment inwhich the manipulation device 1000 is disposed at the door 300, andaccordingly, the manipulation device 1000 may be efficiently disposed atthe door 300.

Since the manipulation device 1000 and the first control board 500 aredisposed at the door 300 as described above, the first heating part 400,the manipulation device 1000 and the first control board 500 disposed atthe door 300 may electrically connect to one another more efficiently.

That is, the electric connection among the first heating part 400, themanipulation device 1000 and the first control board 500 may be done inthe door 300, and the length of wires for the electric connection maydecrease. Thus, the wiring may be simplified and the wires may tidy up,and the wiring may be done in the door 300 such that wires are notexposed outward.

Further, when the manipulation device 1000 is disposed at the door 300as in this embodiment, a space for installing the manipulation device1000 and the first control board 500 may not be prepared in the housing100.

As a result, the housing 100 may be designed to have a size and shapebased on the size of the cooking space 105 and the size of the door 300without considering a space for installing the manipulation device 1000and the first control board 500.

Thus, the housing 100 may be scaled down by the space for installing themanipulation device 1000 and the first control board 500, and the door300 may be scaled up by the size of the hosing 100.

The cooking appliance in this embodiment may have an entrance largeenough for the tray 200 and a food item to come in and out while thehousing 100 is scaled down, thereby ensuring a compact exterior andimprovement in the usability of the cooking appliance.

[Structure in Door Front Surface Part]

FIG. 21 is a perspective view separately showing components constitutinga door front surface part.

In FIG. 21 , the first cooling fan is excluded.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 21 , the door 300 may include a door main bodypart 300 a. The door main body part 300 a may form the exterior of thedoor 300. The door main body part 300 a may be formed in a way that aportion forming the exterior of the door upper surface part 310 and aportion forming the exterior of the door front surface part 350integrally connect to each other in an L-shape. Hereunder, the portionof the door main body part 300 a, forming the exterior of the door uppersurface part 310, is referred to as a first door main body part 310 a,and the portion of the door main body part 300 a, forming the exteriorof the door front surface part 350, is referred to as a second door mainbody part 350 a.

The door main body part 300 a may be provided with an accommodatingspace therein. A supporting panel 550 described below, and electroniccomponents such as the first control board 500, a temperature sensor 580and the like disposed on the supporting panel and the like may beaccommodate, in the accommodating space.

An accommodating space in the door main body part 300 a may be opentoward one side. An accommodating space formed in a first door main bodypart 310 a of the door main body part 300 a may be open toward a lowerportion. Additionally, an accommodating space formed in a second doormain body part 350 a of the door main body part 300 a may be open towarda rear.

A door rear surface cover 350 b may cover one side open of the door mainbody part 300 a. In this embodiment, the door rear surface cover 350 bis disposed at a rear of the second door main body part 350 a, forexample. The door rear surface cover 350 b may be disposed at the rearof the second door main body part 350 a and cover the rear open of thesecond door main body part 350 a.

Though described hereunder, the door rear surface cover 350 b may becoupled to the door main body part 300 a by a bracket 590. The door rearsurface cover 350 b coupled to the door main body part 300 a may coverthe rear open of the second door main body part 350 a such that variouselectronic components accommodated in the second door main body part 350a are protected in a space encircled by the door main body part 300 aand the door rear surface cover 350 b.

The supporting panel 550 may be installed in the space encircled by thesecond door main body part 350 a and the door rear surface cover 350 b.That is, the supporting panel 550 may be disposed in the door frontsurface part 350. The supporting panel 550 may be coupled to any one ofthe door main body part 300 a and the door rear surface cover 350 b andfixed to an inside of the door main body part 300 a.

For example, the supporting panel 550 may be coupled to the second doormain body part 350 a and the door rear surface cover 350 b by a bracket590. The supporting panel 550 coupled to the second door main body part350 a and the door rear surface cover 350 b may be fixed to a positionspaced a predetermined distance apart from the second door main bodypart 350 a and the door rear surface cover 350 b, specifically, a frontsurface of the second door main body part 350 a. Description in relationthis is provided hereunder.

The first control board 500 may be fixed to the supporting panel 550.That is, the first control board 500 may be fixed to the supportingpanel 550 and fixed to an inside of the second door main body part 350a. The encoder 1200 and the shaft 110 may be disposed on the firstcontrol board 500, and the manipulation device 1000 may connect to theshaft 110.

A through hole 351 a, which forms a passage needed to allow themanipulation device 1000 to connect to the shaft 110, may be formed atthe second door main body part 350 a. A portion of the manipulationdevice 1000 disposed on the front surface of the door 300 may beinserted into the second door main body part 350 a through the throughhole 351 a.

[Structure of Supporting Panel—Area Regarding First Control Board]

FIG. 22 is a front perspective view separately showing the supportingpanel in FIG. 21 .

In FIG. 22 , the first cooling fan is excluded.

Referring to FIGS. 13, 20 to 22 , the supporting panel 550 may have ashape similar to a shape of the front surface of the second door mainbody part 350 a. For example, a front surface of the second door mainbody part 350 a may have a rectangular shape, and similarly, thesupporting panel 550 may have a rectangular shape. The supporting panel550 may include a main panel part 551 and a portion regulating part.

The main panel part 551 may form a skeleton of the supporting panel 550.The main panel part 551 may form a supporting surface that supports thefirst control board 500. In this embodiment, the main panel part 551 hasa shape, e.g., a rectangular shape, similar to the shape of the frontsurface of the second door main body part 350 a, for example.

The main panel part 551 may be made of a hard plastic material. The mainpanel part 551 may be made of a lightweight insulating material and haveenough strength to support the first control board 500 and variouselectronic components disposed on the first control board.

The position regulating part may be disposed at the main panel part 551.The position regulating part may regulate a position of the firstcontrol board 500 supported by the main panel part 551 and may beprovided as a structure protruding from the main panel part 551.

The position regulating part may include at least one of a lower portionsupporting part 553, a lateral portion supporting part 555. In thisembodiment, the position regulating part includes both of the lowerportion supporting part 533 and the lateral portion supporting part 555,for example.

The lower portion supporting part 553 may be disposed in a lower portionof the first control board 500, and the lateral portion supporting part555 may be disposed in a lateral portion of the first control board 500.In this embodiment, the supporting panel 550 may include a first area550 a and a second area 550 b.

The first area 550 a may be an area in which the first control board 500is installed, and the second area 550 b may be an area in which thefirst control board 500 is not installed. The lower portion supportingpart 553 may be disposed in a lower portion of the first area 550 awhile being disposed in the second area 550 b. The lateral portionsupporting part 555 may be disposed in the lower portion of the firstarea 550 a while being disposed in the second area 550 b.

A position of the first control board 500 in the up-down direction and alateral direction may be regulated by the lower portion supporting part553 and the lateral portion supporting part 555. The position of thefirst control board 500 in the up-down direction may be regulated by thelower portion supporting part 553 in the lower portion of the first area550 a, and the position of the first control board 500 in the lateraldirection may be regulated by the lateral portion supporting part 555 ina lateral portion of the first area 550 a. Accordingly, the position atwhich the first control board 500 is disposed may be guided into thefirst area 550 a.

At least one of the lower portion supporting part 553 and the lateralportion supporting part 555 may include a hook. The hook may include abody part 553 a and a protruding part 553 b. The body part 553 a may beformed in a way that protrudes forward from the main panel part 551.

In this case, the body part 553 a may be formed in a way that the bodypart 553 a is elastically deformed in the lateral direction or theup-down direction. The protruding part 553 b may protrude from aposition spaced a predetermined distance apart from the main panel part551 while protruding from the body part 553 a toward the first controlboard 500.

In this embodiment, both of the lower portion supporting part 553 andthe lateral portion supporting part 555 may include a hook, for example.A protruding part 553 b of the hook included in the lower portionsupporting part 553 may protrude upward from the body part 553 a, and aprotruding part 553 b of the hook included in the lateral portionsupporting part 555 may protrude laterally from the body part 553 a.

In this case, each protruding part 553 b may protrude from a positionspaced apart from the main panel part 551 by a thickness of the firstcontrol board 500 while protruding from a position spaced apredetermined distance apart from the main panel part 551. A portion ofthe first control board 500 may be inserted into a space that is formedbetween the main panel part 551 and the protruding part 553 b as aresult of the protrusion of the protruding part 553 b. That is, a lowerend of the first control board 500 may be inserted into the lowerportion supporting part 553, and a lateral end of the first controlboard 500 may be inserted into the lateral portion supporting part 555.

Accordingly, a front-rest position of the first control board 500 may beregulated by the lower portion supporting part 553 and the lateralportion supporting part 555. That is, a rear of the first control board500 may be supported by the main panel part 551, and the front of thefirst control board 500 may be supported by the protruding part 553 b.Thus, the front-rear position of the first control board 500 may beregulated.

In summary, the position of the first control board 500 in the lateraldirection may be regulated by the lower portion supporting part 553 andthe lateral portion supporting part 555, and the position of the firstcontrol board 500 in the front-rear direction may be regulated by themain panel part 551 and the protruding part 553 b.

As a result, the first control board 500 may be exactly disposed in thefirst area 550 a, i.e., at a position at which the first control board500 is designed to seat, and may be stably fixed onto the supportingpanel 550.

The lower portion supporting part 553 may include a plurality of hooksspaced a predetermined distance apart in a left-right direction.Accordingly, the lower portion of the first control board 500 may besupported by the lower portion supporting part 553 more stably, and thefirst control board 500 may be fixed onto the supporting panel 550 morestably.

The supporting panel 550 may further include a rib 552. The rib 552 mayprotrude forward from the main panel part 551 and be disposed betweenthe main panel part 551 and the first control board 500. The rib 552 maybe provided as a structure for improving rigidity of the supportingpanel 550 structurally. Additionally, a predetermined gap may be formedbetween the first control board 500 and the main panel part 551 by therib 552 such that the rib 552 serves as a passage needed to emit heat ofthe first control board 500.

[Structure of Supporting Panel—Area Regarding Electronic ComponentExcept for First Control Board]

FIG. 23 is a rear perspective view showing a rear surface of thesupporting panel in FIG. 22 , and FIG. 24 is a rear perspective viewshowing a state in which a temperature sensor is installed.

The cooking appliance in this embodiment may further include atemperature sensor 580 as illustrated in FIGS. 21 to 24 .

The temperature sensor 580 may be provided to measure a temperature inthe cooking space 105. The temperature sensor 580 may include a sensormain body 581 having a long thin rod shape and a flange 583 protrudingfrom the sensor main body 581. The flange 583 may be formed into arectangular plate protruding from the sensor main body 581 in thecentrifugal direction.

The temperature sensor 580 may be disposed inside the door front surfacepart 350 in a state of being fixed onto the supporting panel 550. Tothis end, the supporting panel 550 may further include a temperaturesensor supporting part 557.

The temperature sensor supporting part 557 may be disposed in the secondarea 550 b, i.e., an area in which the first control board 550 is notinstalled. The temperature sensor supporting part 557 may support thetemperature sensor 580, and the temperature sensor 580 may be supportedby the temperature sensor supporting part 557 and disposed in the secondarea 550 b.

The temperature sensor supporting part 557 may include a second lateralwall part 557 a. The second lateral wall part 557 a may protruderearward from the main panel part 551. An inside of the second lateralwall part 557 a may penetrate in the front-rear direction. For example,the second lateral wall part 557 a may be formed into a rectangularpillar which protrudes rearward from the main panel part 551 and theinside of which penetrates in the front-rear direction.

The temperature sensor 580 may be inserted into the second lateral wallpart 557 a. In this case, a position of the flange 583 of thetemperature sensor 580 in the upward, downward, left and rightdirections may be regulated by a first lateral wall part 556 a.

The temperature sensor supporting part 557 may further include a secondsupporting surface part 557 b. The second supporting surface part 557 bmay protrude from the second lateral wall part 557 a to the inside ofthe second lateral wall part 557 b, and may form a flat surface crossingthe front-rear direction. For example, the second supporting surfacepart 557 b may be formed into a shape in which a flat surface parallelwith the main panel part 551 protrudes to the inside of the secondlateral wall part 557 a.

The flange 583 inserted into the second lateral wall part 557 a maycontact the second supporting surface part 557 b disposed at a rear ofthe flange 583. Thus, a rearward movement of the temperature sensor 580may be regulated.

That is, the position of the temperature sensor 580, inserted into thesecond lateral wall part 557 a, in the upward, downward, left and rightdirections may be regulated as a result of interference between thesecond lateral wall part 557 a and the flange 583, and the position ofthe temperature sensor 580 in the front-rear direction may be regulatedas a result of interference between the second supporting surface part557 b and the flange 583. Thus, the temperature sensor 580 may be stablymounted onto the temperature sensor supporting part 557.

Additionally, the temperature sensor supporting part 557 may furtherinclude a boss part 557 c. The boss part 557 c may protrude forward fromthe second supporting surface part 557 b. That is, the second supportingsurface part 557 b may be disposed further rearward than the main panelpart 551, and the boss part 557 c may protrude forward from the secondsupporting surface part 557 b. In this case, the boss part 557 c may notprotrude further forward than the main panel part 551.

A fastening hole in the form of a hollow hole extending in thefront-rear direction may be formed in the boss part 557 c. The fasteninghole may be open to the rear of the second supporting surface part 557b. Additionally, a fastening hole may also be formed at the flange 583.In this case, the fastening hole of the flange 583 may be formed at aposition where the fastening hole of the flange 583 and the fasteninghole of the boss part 557 c overlap in the front-rear direction.

When a screw passes though fastening holes from the rear of the flange583 and is coupled to the boss part 557 c in a state in which the flange583 contacts the second supporting surface part 557 b such that thefastening hole of the flange 583 and the fastening hole of the boss part557 c overlap, the flange 583 may be fixed to the temperature sensorsupporting part 557 while closely contacting the second supportingsurface part 557 b. Accordingly, the temperature sensor 580 may bestably fixed onto the supporting panel 550.

The temperature sensor supporting part 557 may further include a hook557 d. The hook 557 d may protrude from the first lateral wall part 557a to an inside of the temperature sensor supporting part 557, i.e., theinside of the second lateral wall part 557 a in the upward direction orthe downward direction.

For example, a hook 557 d disposed on a lower side of the second lateralwall part 557 a may protrude in the upward direction, and a hook 557 ddisposed on an upper side of the second lateral wall part 5567 a mayprotrude in the downward direction. In this embodiment, one or morehooks 557 d are disposed respectively on the lower side and the upperside of the second lateral wall part 557 a, for example. The hook 557 dmay be disposed at the front of the second supporting surface part 557b.

In this case, each hook 557 d may be disposed at a position spaced froma first supporting surface part 557 b by a thickness of a portion of thetemperature sensor 580, specifically, a thickness of the flange 583,while being disposed at a position spaced a predetermined distance fromthe second supporting surface part 557 b. A portion of the temperaturesensor 580, i.e., the flange 583, may be inserted into a space that isformed between the second supporting surface part 557 b and the hook 557d as a result of the disposition of the hook 557 d.

Thus, the temperature sensor 580 may be primarily fixed, and thefastening of the temperature 580 may be performed more readily.

In the temperature sensor 580 installed as described above, a rear ofthe sensor main body 581 may pass through the door rear surface cover350 b and be exposed to the outside of the door 300. That is, thetemperature sensor 580 may protrude from the inside of the door frontsurface part 350 to the rear of the door front surface part 350, and beexposed to the cooking space 105. The temperature sensor 580, in whichthe rear of the sensor main body 581 is exposed to the outside of thedoor 300, may measure a temperature of the cooking space 105 in thecooking space 105 (see FIG. 63 ).

Additionally, a front of the sensor main body 581 may be exposed to theinside of the door 300 and connect to the first control board 500. Thatis, the front of the sensor main body 581 may electrically connect tothe first control board 500 through a cable.

Accordingly, results of measurement of the temperature sensor 580 may betransmitted to the first control board 500, and based on the results,the first control board 500 may control an operation of the firstheating part 400 and the like to adjust the temperature in the cookingspace 105.

The temperature sensor supporting part 557 may be formed in a way thatprotrudes rearward from the supporting panel 550. In response, the doorrear surface cover 350 b may be provided with a dent part 351 b. Thedent part 351 b may be formed in a way that a portion of the door rearsurface cover 350 b, disposed at the rear of the temperature sensorsupporting part 557, is dented rearward. When seen from the front, thedent part 351 b may be dented rearward, and when seen from the rear, mayprotrude rearward.

The temperature sensor supporting part 577 may be accommodated in aspace encircle by the dent part 351 b. A passage hole 352 b needed forthe sensor main body 581 to pass through the door rear surface cover 350b may be formed at the dent part 351 b.

The supporting panel 550 in this embodiment may further include a cablefixing part 558. The cable fixing part 558 may protrude forward from themain panel part 551 and may be disposed between the first control board500 and the temperature sensor supporting part 557. The cable fixingpart 558 may fix a cable for connecting between the first control board500 and the temperature sensor supporting part 557 onto the supportingpanel 550.

The cable fixing part 558 may include a pair of hooks. Each of the hooksmay include a body part 558 a and a protruding part 558 b. The body part558 a may protrude forward from the main panel part 551.

In this case, the body part 558 a may be formed in a way that the bodypart 558 a is elastically deformed in the lateral direction. Theprotruding part 558 b may protrude from the body part 558 a to anotheradjacent hook.

That is, the protruding parts 558 b of the hooks protrude toward eachother while the pair of hooks is disposed to face each other.Accordingly, a gap between front portions of the two hooks, in which theprotruding parts 558 b are disposed, may be much less than a gap betweenrear portions of the two hooks, in which the body parts 558 a aredisposed. Preferably, a gap between the two protruding parts 558 b maybe less than a diameter of the cable or the hooks may disposed such thatthe two protruding parts 558 b contact each other.

Accordingly, the cable may be inserted into the cable fixing part 558from a front of the cable fixing part 558. The cable inserted into thecable fixing part 558 may not escape from the cable fixing part 558easily.

Further, a plurality of cable fixing parts 558 may be spaced apredetermined distance from each other on the supporting panel 550.

In this embodiment, the first control board 500 may be provided with aterminal 501 for connecting between the cable and the first controlboard 500. The terminal 501 may be disposed on a side eccentric to thelower portion on the first control board 500.

Referring to FIGS. 13, 21 and 22 , components, i.e., the shaft 110 andthe encoder 1200, in relation to the manipulation device 1000 may bedisposed on a side eccentric to an upper portion of the first controlboard 500 on the first control board 500. Since the manipulation deviceis disposed on a side eccentric to an upper portion of the door frontsurface part 350 on the door front surface part 350, the shaft 110, theencoder 1200 and the like connected to the manipulation device need tobe disposed on a side eccentric to the upper portion of the firstcontrol board 500 on the first control board 500.

The handle 305 may be disposed at a position eccentric to a lowerportion of the door front surface part 350 on the door front surfacepart 350. Accordingly, there is difficulty in ensuring a spaceappropriate for installing the manipulation device 1000 in the doorfront surface part 350. Additionally, when the manipulation device 1000is disposed in the upper portion of the door front surface part, theuser may manipulate the manipulation device 1000 easily.

If the handle 305 is disposed at a position eccentric to the upperportion of the door front surface part 350 on the door front surfacepart 350, the manipulation device 1000 needs to be disposed below thehandle. In this case, the user may have difficulty in manipulating themanipulation device 1000 due to the handle 305 and the handle maydeteriorate the aesthetic quality of the cooking appliance.

If the handle 305 is disposed at a position eccentric to the upperportion of the door front surface part 350 on the door front surfacepart 350, a large force needs to be applied to open and close the door300, and it is not easy for the user to manipulate the manipulationdevice.

For this reason, the manipulation device 1000 may be disposed at aposition eccentric to the upper portion of the door front surface part350 on the door front surface part 350.

Since the manipulation device 1000 may be disposed at a positioneccentric to the upper portion of the door front surface part 350 on thedoor front surface part 350 as described above, the shaft 110, theencoder 1200 and the like may be disposed on a side eccentric to theupper portion of the first control board 500 on the first control board500. Additionally, most of the upper area of the first control board 500is occupied by the shaft 110, the encoder 1200 and the like, theterminal 501 may be disposed at a position eccentric to the lowerportion of the first control board 500 on the first control board 500.

The temperature sensor supporting part 557 and the temperature sensor580 mounted thereon may be disposed at a position eccentric to an upperportion of the supporting panel 550 on the supporting panel 550. Thetemperature sensor 580 may be disposed further upward than acommunication module 570, and may be disposed at a height closer to theshaft 110 and the encoder 1200 than to the terminal 501. The reason whythe temperature sensor 580 is disposed at a position eccentric to theupper portion of the supporting panel 550 on the supporting panel 550 isdescribed hereunder.

Since there is a difference in heights of the temperature sensor 580 andthe terminal 501 as described above, a distance between the temperaturesensor 580 and the terminal 501 may become great. As the temperaturesensor 580 becomes far from the terminal 501, a cable for connectingbetween the temperature sensor 580 and the terminal 501 needs to beelongated. Accordingly, the inside of the door 300 may be untidy due tothe cable.

To solve the problem, in this embodiment, a plurality of cable fixingparts 558 may be disposed in a lower portion of the temperature sensorsupporting part 557. The plurality of cable fixing parts 558 may fix acable, which is disposed to extend in the up-down direction consideringthe positions of the temperature sensor 580 and the terminal 501, at aplurality of points.

Accordingly, the cable connecting between the temperature sensor 580 andthe first control board 500 may be fixed stably onto the supportingpanel 550, and the inside of the door 300 may become neat and tidy.

The supporting panel 550 in this embodiment, may further include a cablesupporting part 559. The cable supporting part 559 may protrude forwardfrom the main panel part 551 and may be disposed outside the firstcontrol board 500.

The cable fixing part 558 may support a cable connected to the firstcontrol board 500. The cable supported by the cable supporting part 559may be a cable connecting between the first control board 500 and thefirst heating part or between the first control board 500 and the secondcontrol board.

The cable supporting part 559 may include a first projection 559 a and asecond projection 559 b. The first projection 559 a may protrude forwardfrom the main panel part. The second projection 559 b may protrude fromthe first projection 559 a in a direction parallel with the main panelpart 551. In this case, the second projection 559 b may be spaced apredetermined distance apart from the main panel part 551.

The supporting panel 550 may be provided with a plurality of cablesupporting parts 559. The plurality of cable supporting parts 559 may bedisposed near an edge of the supporting panel 550. Some of the pluralityof cable supporting parts 559 may be disposed near a lower edge of thesupporting panel 550, and the others may be disposed near lateral edgesof the supporting panel 550.

In this embodiment, the cable supporting parts 559 disposed near thelower edge of the supporting panel 550 and the cable supporting parts559 disposed near the lateral edges of the supporting panel 550 may havedifferent shapes. For example, in the cable supporting parts 559disposed near the lower edge of the supporting panel 550, the secondprojection 559 b may protrude upward or downward. In the cablesupporting parts 559 disposed near the lateral edges of the supportingpanel 550, the second projection 559 b may protrude in the lateraldirection.

A cable may be supported by the cable supporting part 559 in a way thatthe cable is inserted into a space encircles by the first projection 559a and the second projection 559 b. Accordingly, the cable may be guidedinto an area near the edges of the supporting panel 550. The cableguided as described above may connect to the first control board 500while being disposed near the edges of the supporting panel 550.

As a result, the cable connected to the first control board 500 may bestably fixed onto the supporting panel 550 in a state of being disposednear the edges of the supporting panel 550. Thus, the inside of the door300 may become more neat and tidy, and unnecessary contact betweenvarious components mounted onto the first control board 500 and cablesmay be prevented.

The supporting panel 550 may further include a supporting projection560. The supporting projection 560 may protrude from the main panel part551 toward the door main body part 300 a facing the main panel part 551,specifically, toward the front surface of the second door main body part350 a.

The supporting projection 560 may be disposed further downward than thefirst control board 500. For example, the supporting projection 560 maybe disposed at a position near the lower edge of the supporting panel550.

The supporting projection 560 may guide a gap between the front surfaceof the second door main body part 350 a and the supporting panel 550 byinterfering with the front surface of the second door main body part 350a. Additionally, the supporting projection 560 may maintain the gapbetween the front surface of the second door main body part 350 a andthe supporting panel 550.

In this embodiment, the shaft 110 and the encoder 1200 may be disposedin the upper area of the first control board 500. Additionally, thesocket member 1600 encircling the shaft 110 and the encoder 1200 mayalso be disposed in the upper area of the first control board 500.

A rear side of the socket member 1600 may be coupled to the firstcontrol board 500, and a front side of the socket member 1600 maycontact the front surface of the second door main body part 350 a. Thatis, the socket member 1600 may be interposed between the front surfaceof the second door main body part 350 a and the supporting panel 550,and the gap between the front surface of the second door main body part350 a and the supporting panel 550 may be maintained by the socketmember 1600.

Thus, the upper area of the supporting panel 550 may be supported by thesocket member 1600 not to bend toward the front surface of the seconddoor main body part 350 a. Also, the front surface of the second doormain body part 350 a may be supported by the socket member 1600 not tobend toward the supporting panel 550.

However, a lower area of the supporting panel 550 on which a structuresuch as the socket member 1600 is not disposed is likely to bend towardthe front surface of the second door main body part 350 a. Also, a lowerarea of the front surface of the second door main body part 350 a maybend toward the supporting panel 550.

For example, when the front surface of the second door main body part350 a is pressed and bent or the door rear surface cover 350 b ispressed and bent, the gap between the front surface of the second doormain body part 350 a and the supporting panel 550 may be excessivelynarrowed. In this case, the components mounted onto the first controlboard 500 may be broken, or the front surface of the second door mainbody part 350 a may be deformed, thereby causing deterioration of anaesthetic quality of the door 300.

To solve the problem, in this embodiment, the supporting projection 560may be disposed on a lower side of the supporting panel 550. Thesupporting projection 560 may support the front surface of the seconddoor main body part 350 a to prevent the front surface of the seconddoor main body part 350 a from bending rearward while maintaining thegap between the front surface of the second door main body part 350 aand the supporting panel 550.

In summary, the socket member 1600 may be disposed on an upper side ofthe supporting panel 550 to support between the front surface of thesecond door main body part 350 a and the upper side of the supportingpanel 550, and the supporting projection 560 may be disposed on thelower side of the supporting panel 550 to support between the frontsurface of the second door main body part 350 a and the upper side ofthe supporting panel 550.

Accordingly, the supporting panel 550 and the first control board 500mounted onto the supporting panel 550 may be fixed to the inside of thedoor 300 while stably maintaining the gap between the front surface ofthe second door main body part 350 a, and the supporting panel 550 andthe first control board 500. Additionally, the deformation of the frontsurface of the second door main body part 350 a, caused by an impact orpressure, may be suppressed. As a result, the structural reliability ofthe door 300 may improve effectively.

[Coupling Structure Among Door, Supporting Panel and Door Rear SurfaceCover]

FIG. 25 is a perspective view separately showing the bracket in FIG. 21, and FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling structurebetween a supporting panel and a door rear surface cover. Additionally,FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling structure between afront surface of a door main body part and a supporting panel, and FIG.28 is an enlarged view showing a portion of a configuration in a doorfront surface part.

In FIGS. 26 and 27 , the first cooling fan is excluded.

Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, and 25 to 28 , the cooking appliance inthis embodiment may further include a bracket 590. The bracket 590 maybe disposed between the front surface of the second door main body part350 a and the supporting panel 550. The bracket 590 may space thesupporting panel 500 from the front surface of the second door main bodypart 350 a by a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction, andcouple the supporting panel 550 to the door main body part 300 a.

The supporting panel 550 may further include a coupling area 550 c inaddition to the first area 550 a and the second area 550 b. The couplingarea 550 c may be respectively disposed outside both sides of an areaincluding the first area 550 a and the second area 550 b in theleft-right direction. For example, the coupling area 550 c may bedisposed in both lateral edge portions of the supporting panel 550 inthe lateral direction thereof.

The bracket 590 may be respectively disposed between the front surfaceof the second door main body parts 350 a, and each coupling area 550 c.Each bracket 590 may be coupled to the coupling area 550 c. Each bracket590 may include a first coupling part 591, a second coupling part 593and a connecting part 595.

The first coupling part 591 may form a coupling surface parallel withthe coupling area 550 c. For example, the first coupling part 591 may beformed into a flat surface having a rectangular shape in which anup-down length is greater than a left-right length.

The second coupling part 593 may form a coupling surface parallel withthe front surface of the second door main body part 350 a. For example,the second coupling part 593 may be formed into a flat surface having arectangular shape similar to that of the first coupling part 591. Inthis case, unlike the first coupling part 591, the second coupling part593 may be formed into a shape in which a left-right length is greaterthan an up-down length.

In this embodiment, the front surface of the second door main body part350 a is disposed in parallel with the coupling area 550 c in thefront-rear direction, for example. Accordingly, the first coupling part591 and the second coupling part 593 may also be disposed in parallelwith each other in the front-rear direction.

The connecting part 595 may connect the first coupling part 591 and thesecond coupling part 593 in a way that the first coupling part 591 isspaced a predetermined distance apart from the second coupling part 593in the front-rear direction. The connecting part 595 may be disposedbetween the first coupling part 591 and the second coupling part 593.For example, the connecting part 595 may be formed into a flat surfacehaving a rectangular shape crossing the first coupling part 591 and thesecond coupling part 593, preferably, orthogonal to the first couplingpart 591 and the second coupling part 593.

The bracket 590 may be formed in a way that the first coupling part 591,the second coupling part 593 and the connecting part 595 described aboveintegrally connect. When seen from above, the bracket 590 may be formedin a way that the first coupling part 591, the connecting part 595 andthe second coupling part 593 connect in a “

” shape.

In this embodiment, a pair of brackets 590 is disposed between the frontsurface of the second door main body part 350 a and the supporting panel550, for example. On the supporting panel 550, the coupling area 550 cmay be disposed respectively on the left side and the right side of thefirst area 550 a and the second area 550 b, and the bracket 590 may berespectively disposed between the front surface of the second door mainbody part 350 a and the left coupling area 550 c and between the frontsurface of the second door main body part 350 a and the right couplingarea 550 c.

In this case, in the left bracket 590 of the pair of brackets 590, leftends of the first coupling part 591 and the second coupling part 593 maybe connected by the connecting part 595. Additionally, in the rightbracket 590 of the pair of brackets 590, right ends of the firstcoupling part 591 and the second coupling part 593 may be connected bythe connecting part 595.

For example, the left bracket 590 may be formed in a way that the firstcoupling part 591, the connecting part 595 and the second coupling part593 connect in a “

” shape, and the left bracket 590 may be formed in a way that the firstcoupling part 591, the connecting part 595 and the second coupling part593 connect in a “

” shape.

A guiding projection 561 may be disposed in any one of the firstcoupling part 591 and the coupling area 550 c. Additionally, a guidinghole 591 a may be disposed in the other of the first coupling part 591and the coupling area 550 c.

The guiding projection 561 may protrude from any one of the firstcoupling part 591 and the coupling area 550 c to the other of the firstcoupling part 591 and the coupling area 550 c. The guiding hole 591 amay be formed in a way that the guiding hole 591 a penetrates the otherof the first coupling part 591 and the coupling area 550 c. The guidingprojection 561 protruding from any one of the first coupling part 591and the coupling area 550 c may be inserted into the guiding hole 591 aformed in the other of the first coupling part 591 and the coupling area550 c.

In this embodiment, the guiding projection 561 is disposed in thecoupling area 550 c, and the guiding hole 591 a is formed in the firstcoupling part 591, for example. The guiding projection 561 may protrudeforward from the coupling area 550 c, be inserted into the guiding hole591 a disposed in front of the guiding projection 561 and pass throughthe first coupling part 591.

In this embodiment, a plurality of guiding projections 561 is disposedin each coupling area 550 c, and a plurality of guiding holes 591 a isdisposed in each first coupling part 591, for example. In each couplingarea 550 c, a pair of guiding projections 561 may be spaced apredetermined distance in the up-down direction, and in each firstcoupling part 591, a pair of guiding holes 591 a may be spaced apredetermined distance in the up-down direction.

Additionally, the guiding projection 561 and the guiding hole 591 a maybe disposed at a position where one guiding projection 561 and oneguiding hole 591 a overlap in the front-rear direction. That is, theplurality of guiding projections 561 and the plurality of guiding holes591 a may be arranged such that one guiding projection 561 is insertedtin to one guiding hole 591 a.

Each guiding projection 561 may include a hook. The hook may include abody part 561 a, and a protruding part 561 b. The body part 561 a mayprotrude forward from the main panel part 551.

In this case, the body part 561 a may be formed in a way that iselastically deformed in the up-down direction. The protruding part 561 bmay protrude against another hook adjacent to the hook in the up-downdirection while protruding from the body part 561 a.

For example, a protruding part 561 b of an upper hook of the pair ofhooks may protrude upward, and a protruding part 561 b of a lower hookof the pair of hooks may protrude downward.

The guiding projection 561, disposed as described above, may be coupledto the first coupling part 591 while passing through the first couplingpart 591 through the guiding hole 591 a. As a result of coupling betweenthe guiding projection 561 and the first coupling part 591, thesupporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may be primarily coupled.

The primary coupling may denote a state in which the supporting panel550 and the bracket 590 is detachably coupled and in which a position,where the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 are coupled, isguided.

Fastening holes 562 and 591 b may be respectively arranged in thecoupling area 550 c and the first coupling part 591. The fastening holes562 and 591 b are provided for fastening between the supporting panel550 and the bracket 590 using a fastening member 565. The fasteningmember 565 may be provided in the form of a screw identical with orsimilar to the above fastening member 563.

In a state in which the coupling area 550 c and the first coupling part591 contact each other such that the fastening hole 562 of the couplingarea 550 c and the fastening hole 591 b of the first coupling part 591overlap in the front-rear direction, a screw may pass through thecoupling area 550 c and the first coupling part 591 through thefastening holes 562 and 591 b to couple the coupling area 550 c and thefirst coupling part 591.

The alignment of the positions of the supporting panel 550 and thebracket 590 to overlap the fastening hole 562 of the coupling area 550 cand the fastening hole 591 b of the first coupling part 591 in thefront-rear direction may be led as a result of the coupling between theguiding projection 561 and the first coupling part 591.

That is, as long as the guiding projection 561 is fitted into the firstcoupling part 591, the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may bealigned such that the fastening hole 562 of the coupling area 550 c andthe fastening hole 591 b of the first coupling part 591 overlap in thefront-rear direction.

In this embodiment, the fastening holes 562 and 591 b are disposedfurther outward than the guiding projection 561 in the up-downdirection, for example. The supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 maybe coupled by a screw. As a coupling position of the screw becomescloser to ends on the upper side and the low side of the supportingpanel 550 and the bracket 590, the coupling between the supporting panel550 and the bracket 590 may become more reliable. To this end, thefastening holes 562 and 591 b may be disposed further outward than theguiding projection 561 in the up-down direction.

That is, the positions adjacent to the upper ends of the supportingpanel 550 and the bracket 590, and the positions adjacent to the lowerends of the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may be firmly fixedby the screw such that the upper ends or the lower ends of thesupporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 are firmly coupled to eachother without separating from each other.

Additionally, since a hook coupling using the guiding projection 561 maybe done in central portions of the supporting panel 550 and the bracket590, which are not fastened using a screw, to suppress the separationbetween the central portions of the supporting panel 550 and the bracket590.

Hereunder, the effect of the coupling structure between the couplingarea 550 c and the first coupling part 591 are described hereunder.

The supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may be primarily coupled asa result of coupling between the guiding projection 561 and the firstcoupling part 591. When the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 areprimarily coupled, the positions of the supporting panel 550 and thebracket 590 may be aligned. Accordingly, the conditions for the couplingbetween the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 using a screw maybe set out. When the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 areprimarily coupled, the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may betemporarily fixed to ease screw fastening.

Then the porsions adjacent to the upper ends of the supporting panel 550and the bracket 590, and the porsions adjacent to the lower ends of thesupporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may be firmly fixed by thescrew, and the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may be coupledby the guiding projection 561 in the central portions of the supportingpanel 550 and the bracket 590 in the up-down direction.

Accordingly, the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may be firmlycoupled without separating from each other, and the screw fasteningbetween the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may be performedmore readily.

The second coupling part 593 may be coupled to the door main body part300 a, specifically, a front surface of the second door main body part350 a. To this end, fastening holes 353 a and 593 a may be respectivelydisposed on the front surface of the second door main body part 350 aand in the second coupling part 593. The fastening holes 353 a and 593 amay be provided to fasten the door main body part 300 a and the bracket590 using a fastening member 563 described below.

In a state in which the front surface of the second door main body part350 a and the second coupling part 593 contact each other such that thefastening hole 353 a of the front surface of the second door main bodypart 350 a and the fastening hole 593 a of the second coupling part 593overlap in the front-rear direction, the fastening member 563 may passthrough the front surface of the second door main body part 350 a andthe second coupling part 593 through the fastening holes 353 a and 593 asuch that the front surface of the second door main body part 350 a andthe second coupling part 593 are coupled.

The fastening member 563 may be provided in a screw form. Specifically,the fastening member 563 may include a body part 553 a and a head part563 b. The body part 553 a may be formed into an approximately circularrod, and a screw thread may be formed on an outer circumferentialsurface of the body part 553 a. The head part 563 b may protrude in acentrifugal direction of the body part 553 a at a length-wise end of thebody part 553 a.

In this embodiment, the coupling between the second coupling part 593 ofthe bracket 590 and the front surface of the second door main body part350 a, and the coupling between the front surface of the second doormain body part 350 a and the handle 305 may be performed together by asingle fastening member 563.

That is, the fastening member 563 may be inserted into the handle 305while passing through the second coupling part 593 and the front surfaceof the second door main body part 350 a. Accordingly, the handle 305 andthe second coupling part 593 may be coupled to the front surface of thesecond door main body part 350 a. That is, the handle 305 and the secondcoupling part 593 may be coupled with the front surface the second doormain body part 350 a therebetween.

To this end, the fastening member 563 may be inserted into the handle503 from a rear of the second coupling part 593 while passing throughthe second coupling part 593 and the front surface of the second doormain body part 350 a such that the heat part 563 b is disposed behindthe second coupling part 593.

If the coupling between the bracket 590 and the door main body part 300a and the coupling between the door main body part 300 a and the handle305 are performed at different positions, a coupling portion between thebracket 590 and the door main body part 300 a is exposed to the outsideof the door 300.

For example, when the bracket 590 and the door main body part 300 a arecoupled from the front of the door 300 using the fastening member 563,the head part 563 b of the fastening member 563 is exposed to theoutside of the door 300.

Additionally, when the bracket 590 and the door main body part 300 a arecoupled from a rear of the bracket 590 using the fastening member 563,the body part 553 a of the fastening member 563 is exposed to theoutside of the door 300. Thus, an additional structure needs to be addedto the outside of the door 300 to cover the fastening member 563.

Further, since the front surface of the second door main body part 350 aand the second coupling part 593 are not that thick, coupling strengthbetween the door main body part 300 a and the bracket 590 may not besufficiently ensured. When the coupling between the bracket 590 and thedoor main body part 300 a and the coupling between the door main bodypart 300 a and the handle 305 are performed at different positions, manhours for the fastening procedure may increase.

To solve the problem, in this embodiment, the bracket 590, the door mainbody part 300 a and the handle 305 may be coupled together using asingle fastening member 563 as a result of one-time fastening.

In this case, the bracket 590 may pass through the door main body part300 a, and a portion of the fastening member 563, protruding to theoutside of the door main body part 300 a, may be inserted into thehandle 305, such that bracket 590 and the door main body part 300 a arecoupled.

Thus, the bracket 590 and the door main body part 300 a may be coupledwhile no portion of the fastening member 563 is exposed to the outsideof the door 300. Additionally, although the front surface of the seconddoor main body part 350 a and the second coupling part 593 are not thatthick, a depth, to which the fastening member 563 is inserted, may beensured by the handle 305. Thus, the coupling strength between the doormain body part 300 a and the bracket 590 may be sufficiently ensured.

As a result of one-time fastening, the bracket 590, the door main bodypart 300 a, and the handle 305 may be coupled together, and man hoursfor the fastening procedure may be reduced.

The fastening member 563 may couple the bracket 590 and the door mainbody part 300 a while passing through the second coupling part 593, andthe front surface of the second door main body part 350 a through thefastening hole 593 a of the second coupling part 593 and the fasteninghole 353 a of the front surface of the second door main body part 350 a.

In this case, the fastening hole 593 a of the second coupling part 593may be disposed at a position where the second coupling part 593 and thefirst coupling part 591 do not overlap in the front-rear direction or aposition where a rear of the fastening hole 593 a is not covered by thefirst coupling part 591. That is, the fastening hole 593 a of the secondcoupling part 593 may be disposed at a position where the fastening hole593 a of the second coupling part 593 is exposed to the outside of thefirst coupling part 591 when seen from the rear.

In this embodiment, the second coupling part 593 has an up-down lengthless than a left-right length unlike the first coupling part 591, forexample. The second coupling part 593 of the bracket 590 disposed on theleft side may protrude further rightward than the first coupling part591, and the second coupling part 593 of the bracket 590 disposed on theright side may protrude further leftward than the first coupling part591.

The fastening hole 593 a of the second coupling part 593 may be disposedat a position protruding further rightward and leftward than the firstcoupling part 591. That is, the fastening hole 593 a of the secondcoupling part 593 of the bracket 590 on the left side may be disposed ata position protruding further rightward than the first coupling part591, and the fastening hole 593 a of the second coupling part 593 of thebracket 590 on the right side may be disposed at a position protrudingfurther leftward than the first coupling part 591.

Accordingly, the fastening procedure using the fastening member 563 maybe performed more readily.

That is, since the coupling procedure using the fastening member 563 isperformed at a rear of the bracket 590, it may be difficult for thefastening procedure to be performed when the fastening hole 593 a of thesecond coupling part 593 is covered by the first coupling part 591.

To solve the problem, in this embodiment, the fastening hole 593 a ofthe second coupling part 593 may be disposed at a position where thefastening hole 593 a of the second coupling part 593 is exposed to theoutside of the first coupling part 591. Accordingly, the fasteningprocedure using the fastening member 563 may be performed more readilywith no interference by another structure such as the first couplingpart 591.

FIGS. 29 to 31 are rear perspective views showing a procedure forassembly of a door front surface part.

Hereunder, a procedure for assembly of the door front surface part isdescribed with reference to FIGS. 26 to 31 .

Referring to FIGS. 26 and 29 , to assemble the door front surface part350, the bracket 590 and the door main body part 300 a may be coupledfirst. The bracket 590 and the door main body part 300 a may be coupledas follows.

The handle 305 may be disposed at a front of the front surface of thesecond door main body part 350 a, and the bracket 590 may be disposed ata rear of the front surface of the second door main body part 350 a. Inthis case, a fastening hole formed in the handle 305, the fastening hole353 a formed on the front surface of the second door main body part 350a, and the fastening hole 593 a formed in the second coupling part 593of the bracket 590 need to overlap in the front-rear direction.

In this state, the fastening member 563 may be coupled to the secondcoupling part 593 and the front surface of the second door main bodypart 350 a from the rear to the front of the second coupling part 593.Accordingly, the fastening member 563 may be inserted into the handle305 while passing through the second coupling part 593 and the frontsurface of the second door main body part 350 a from the rear of thesecond coupling part 593.

Thus, the bracket 590, the door main body part 300 a and the handle 305may be coupled together using a single fastening member 563 as a resultof one-time fastening.

In this embodiment, each bracket 590 has two points for the fasteningusing the fastening member 563, for example. In each second couplingpart 593, a pair of fastening holes 593 a may be spaced from each otherin the up-down direction, and fastening holes 353 a may be disposedrespectively on the front surface of the second door main body part 350a at positions corresponding to those of the fastening holes 593 a. Inthis case, the handle 305, the door 300 and the bracket 590 may becompletely coupled as a result of four-time fastening using thefastening member 563.

Additionally, a fitting hole 593 b may be formed between the pair offastening holes 593 a, on the second coupling part 593. A fitting hole355 a may also be formed on the front surface of the second door mainbody part 350 a.

The handle 305 may be provided with a fitting projection 305 a. Thefitting projection 305 a may protrude from ends at rears of both sidesof the handle to the rear. The fitting projection 305 a may be insertedinto the fitting holes 355 a and 593 b and coupled to the front surfaceof the second door main body part 350 a and the second coupling part593.

The position of the coupling between the handle 350 and the door frontsurface part 350 may be guided as a result coupling among the fittingprojection 305 a, the front surface of the second door main body part350 a and the second coupling part 593. That is, when the fittingprojection 305 a is inserted into the fitting holes 355 a and 593 b, thehandle 305, the door front surface part 350 and the fastening holes ofthe second coupling part 593 may be aligned and may overlap in thefront-rear direction.

Accordingly, the coupling among the handle 305, the door 300 and thebracket 590 may be performed more accurately and readily.

The handle 305, the door 300 and the bracket 590 may be coupled asdescribed above, and then the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590may be primarily coupled as illustrated in FIGS. 26 to 27 and 30 . Thesupporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may be primarily coupled as aresult of coupling between the guiding projection 561 and the firstcoupling part 591.

Thus, the supporting panel 550 and the bracket 590 may be detachablycoupled, and the positions of the supporting panel 550 and the bracket590 may be aligned such that the fastening hole 562 of the supportingpanel 550 and the fastening hole 591 b of the first coupling part 591overlap in the front-rear direction.

Then, as illustrated in FIGS. 26, 27 and 31 , the open rear of the doormain body part 300 a may be covered with the door rear surface cover 350b. In this state, a screw may be coupled to the door rear surface cover350 b from the rear to the front of the door rear surface cover 350 b.

Accordingly, the door rear surface cover 350 b, the coupling area 550 c,and the first coupling part 591 may be coupled by a single screw. Thatis, the door rear surface cover 350 b, the supporting panel 550 and thebracket 590 may be coupled by a single screw at a time.

In this embodiment, each bracket 590 has two points for the fasteningusing the screw, for example. In each first coupling part 591, a pair offastening holes 591 b may be spaced from each other in the up-downdirection, and fastening holes 562 may be disposed respectively on thedoor rear surface cover 350 b and the supporting panel 550 at positionscorresponding to those of the fastening holes 591 b. In this case, thedoor rear surface cover 350 b, the supporting panel 550 and the bracket590 may be completely coupled as a result of four-time fastening usingthe screw.

In summary, the handle 305, the door 300 and the bracket 590 may becompletely coupled during a total of four fastening procedures, and thedoor rear surface cover 350 b, the supporting panel 550 and the bracket590 may be completely coupled during a total of four fasteningprocedures. The door front surface part 350 may be completely assembledduring a small number of fastening procedures.

Thus, man hours for assembly of the door 300 may be significantlyreduced and the door 300 may be assembled more easily and rapidly.

[Disposition Structure of Temperature Sensor]

FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure in acooking appliance.

As illustrated in FIGS. 30 and 32 , the cooking appliance in thisembodiment may include a temperature sensor 580. The temperature sensor580 may be provided to measure a temperature in the cooking space 105.In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 580 is provided in athermostat form, for example.

The temperature sensor 580 may be used to maintain the temperature ofthe cooking space 105 at a predetermined temperature. The temperaturesensor 580 may be used to maintain the temperature of the cooking space105 to prevent the inside of the cooking space 105 from beingexcessively heated.

The temperature sensor 580 may be disposed in the door front surfacepart 350, and a height of the temperature sensor 580 may be determinedbetween the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 and the first heatingpart 400. For example, the temperature sensor 580 may be biased towardthe first heating part 400 than to the bottom surface 110 of the housing100. That is, the temperature sensor 580 may be disposed at a heighteccentric to the upper portion in the cooking space 105.

Specifically, the temperature sensor 580 may be disposed between thetray 200 and the first heating part 400. More specifically, thetemperature sensor 580 may be biased toward the first heating part 400than to the tray 200.

The temperature sensor 580 may be disposed as described aboveconsidering the distribution of temperature in the cooking space 105 andthe possibility of interference between an object to be cooked and thetemperature sensor 580 in the cooking space 105.

In the cooking appliance, a food item may be cooked in the cooking space105. To this end, the food item may be mounted onto the tray 200. Thatis, a food item may ordinarily be cooked in a state of being mountedonto the tray 200 as a result of heating of the inside of the cookingspace 105, performed by any one of the first heating part 400 and thesecond heating part 600.

In the state in which a food item is mounted onto the tray 200, thepossibility of interference between the food item mounted onto the tray200 and the temperature sensor 580 may not be excluded. When the fooditem interferes with the temperature sensor 580, the temperature sensor580 may not produce measurement results accurately or operational errorsof the temperature sensor 580 may occur. Accordingly, the temperaturesensor 580 needs to be disposed at a position where the interferencebetween a food item and the temperature sensor 580 does not occur.

The temperature in the cooking space 105 may increase toward the upperportion of the cooking space 105 since heated air goes up or the firstheating part 400, which heats the inside of the cooing space 105, isdisposed in the upper portion of the cooking space 105.

The cooking space 105 may also be provided with the second heating part600 (see FIG. 64 ) in the lower portion thereof. Unlike the firstheating part 400 performing direct heating, the second heating part 600may not perform direct heating. Accordingly, in the cooking space 105,the temperature tends to be higher in the upper portion than in thelower portion.

In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 580 is used to maintain thetemperature of the cooking space 105 at a predetermined temperature orto prevent the cooking space from overheating, for example. For thetemperature sensor 580 to play the above role effectively, thetemperature sensor 580 disposed at a position of the cooking space 105,having a relatively high temperature, may have an advantage over thetemperature sensor 580 disposed at a position having a relatively lowtemperature.

Ordinarily, the effect of the cooking space's temperature higher than anintended temperature on an object to be cooked may be greater than theeffect of the cooking space's temperature lower than the intendedtemperature on the object to be cooked. Accordingly, it would be good tomeasure a temperature of a point having a high temperature. Inparticular, when the temperature sensor 580 is used to prevent thecooking space from overheating, it is preferable to measure atemperature of a point having a high temperature.

Further, since a temperature measuring module 640 (see FIG. 50 ) isdisposed near a lower portion of the cooking space 105 and measures atemperature, the temperature sensor 580 may be preferably disposed at aposition spaced a certain distance from the temperature measuring module640 rather than a position very close to the temperature measuringmodule 640.

In this case, in this embodiment, the temperature sensor 580 may bedisposed at a height eccentric to the upper portion further in thecooking space 105. Accordingly, the temperature sensor 580 may play itsrole effectively such that the temperature of the cooking space 105 ismaintained at a predetermined temperature or the cooking space isprevented from overheating.

As illustrated in FIGS. 21, 22, 26 and 31 , the second area 550 b may bedisposed outside the first area 550 a in the lateral direction, and thetemperature sensor 580 may be disposed in the second area 550 b.

As described above, the first control board 500 may be disposed in thefirst area 550 a, and components such as the shaft 110, the encoder 1200and the like in relation to the manipulation device 1000 may be disposedon the first control board 500. Accordingly, the first control board 500may have a size large enough to take up a wide area on the supportingpanel 550. That is, the first control board 500 may occupy more thanhalf of the area of the supporting panel 550.

In this embodiment, the manipulation device 1000 is disposed at aposition eccentric to the upper portion on the door front surface part350. Accordingly, the first control board 500 needs to be disposed at aposition eccentric to the upper portion on the door front surface part350 such that the components in relation to the manipulation device 1000are disposed on the first control board 500.

Thus, most of the upper portion of the supporting panel 550 may beoccupied by the first control board 500. Further, there is not enoughspace for installing the temperature sensor 580, i.e., the temperaturesensor supporting part 557, in the upper portion of the first controlboard 500.

To solve the problem, in this embodiment, the temperature sensor 580 maybe disposed on one side of the first control board 500 in the lateraldirection thereof such that the temperature sensor 580 and the firstcontrol board 500 do not overlap in the front-rear direction. That is,the temperature sensor 580 may be disposed eccentrically on one side inthe lateral direction while being disposed at a position eccentric tothe upper portion in the cooking space 105. For example, the temperaturesensor 580 may be disposed at a position adjacent to an edge on an upperside of the door front surface part 350 having a rectangular shape.

Accordingly, the temperature sensor 580 may be disposed at a positionwhere the temperature sensor avoids interference with another componentsuch as the first control board 500 and the like and plays its roleeffectively.

Considering a food item is ordinarily disposed at the center of thecooking space 105, when the temperature sensor 580 is disposed at aposition adjacent to the edge on the upper side of the door frontsurface part 350, as described above, the temperature sensor 580 is lesslikely to contact the food item.

In this embodiment, the cooking appliance may further include ashielding plate 328. The shielding plate 328 may be disposed in thelower portion of the door upper surface part 310. The shielding plate328 may be formed into a plate having a length extending along alength-wise direction of the first heating part 400.

In this embodiment, a pair of first heating parts 400 may be disposed inthe lower portion of the door upper surface part 310, and a pair ofshielding plates 328 may be provided to correspond to the pair of firstheating parts 400. Each of the shielding plates 328 may be disposed nearthe first heating part 400, and guide a direction in which the firstheating part 400 emits heat.

For example, a shielding plate 328, which is disposed near a firstheating part 400, adjacent to the door front surface part 350, of thepair of first heating parts 400, may be disposed between the door frontsurface part 350 and the first heating part 400, and a shielding plate328, which is disposed near a first heating part 400, disposedrelatively rearward, of the pair of first heating parts 400, may bedisposed between the rear surface of the housing 100 and the firstheating part 400.

The shielding plate 328, disposed as described above, may guide the heatemitted by the first heating part 400 to a central side of the cookingspace. The shielding plate 328 may block the heat of the first heatingpart 400 from being emitted toward the door front surface part 350 orthe rear surface 140 of the housing 100.

The first heating part 400 may be disposed near the door front surfacepart 350 or the rear surface 140 of the housing 100. Accordingly, thedoor front surface part 350 and the rear surface 140 of the housing 100may be directly heated by the first heating part 400.

Various electronic components may be disposed in the door front surfacepart 350 and at the rear of the housing 100. Accordingly, intensive heatemitted toward the door front surface part 350 and the rear surface 140of the housing 100 needs to be avoided.

Thus, in this embodiment, the shielding plate 328 may be respectivelydisposed between the door front surface part 350 and the first heatingpart 400 and between the rear surface of the housing 100 and the firstheating part 400. The shielding plate, disposed as described above, mayblock the heat of the first heating part 400 from being emitting to thedoor front surface part 350 or the rear surface 140 of the housing 100,thereby preventing thermal degradation of the electronic components.

Additionally, the shielding plate 328 near the door front surface part350 may be disposed between the temperature sensor 580 and the firstheating part 400. In this case, the temperature sensor 580 may bedisposed in a state in which the shielding plate 328 blocks thetemperature sensor 580 from the first heating part 400.

Accordingly, the temperature sensor 580 may be disposed in an area thatis not directly affected by the heat of the first heating part 400. Thatis, the temperature sensor 580 may be disposed in an area that isadjacent to the first heating part 400 and is not directly affected bythe heat of the first heating part 400.

As a result, the temperature sensor 580 may provide reliable measurementresults close to an actual temperature in the cooking space 105 eventhrough the temperature sensor 580 is disposed at a position adjacent tothe first heating part 400.

[Structure of Touch Manipulation Part]

FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a touchmanipulation part in FIG. 27 .

Referring to FIGS. 1, 13 and 33 , the cooking appliance in thisembodiment may further include a touch manipulation part 1900. The touchmanipulation part 1900 may be disposed on a front surface of the doorfront surface part 350 along with the manipulation device 1000. In thisembodiment, the touch manipulation part 1900 is disposed in a lateralportion of the manipulation device 1000 while being disposed near themanipulation device 1000, for example. The user may directly manipulatethe touch manipulation part 1900 together with the manipulation device1000 to control an operation of the cooking appliance.

In an example, the touch manipulation part 1900 may include at least oneof a manipulation switch for controlling the turn-on/off of the firstheating part 400, and a manipulation switch for selecting the sort andstate of an object to be cooked.

The touch manipulation part 1900 may include a board 1910 and a booster1920.

The board 1910 may be disposed in the door front surface part 350 in astate of being fixed to the supporting panel 550. To this end, thesupporting panel 550 may further include a touch panel supporting part565.

The touch panel supporting part 565 may be disposed in the second area550 b, i.e., in an area where the first control board 550 is notinstalled. The touch panel supporting part 565 may support the touchmanipulation part 1900, and accordingly, the touch manipulation part1900 may be supported by the touch panel supporting part 565 anddisposed in the second area 550 b.

The touch panel supporting part 565 may include a protruding surfacepart 565 a, a protruding and supporting surface part 565 b and aprotruding rib part 565 c.

The protruding surface part 565 a may protrude forward from the mainpanel part 551 and form a flat surface parallel with the main panel part551.

The protruding and supporting surface part 565 b may protrude forwardfrom the protruding surface part 565 a and form a flat surface parallelwith the main panel part 551. The protruding and supporting surface part565 b may support the board 1910 at a position which is further forwardthan the main panel part 551 and the protruding surface part 565 a.

Since the board 1910 is supported by the protruding and supportingsurface part 565 b, the touch manipulation part 1900 may be fixed to theinside of the door front surface part 350, in close contact with thefront surface of the first door main body part 350 a.

The protruding rib part 565 c may be disposed near the protruding andsupporting surface part 565 b. In the touch panel supporting part 565, apair of protruding rib parts 565 c may be spaced from each other withthe protruding and supporting surface part 565 b therebetween. In thisembodiment, the pair of protruding rib parts 565 c is spaced from eachother in the up-down direction with the protruding surface part 565 atherebetween, for example.

Each of the protruding rib parts 565 c may protrude forward from theprotruding surface part 565 a. For example, each of the protruding ribparts 565 c may protrude forward to the degree that the protruding andsupporting surface part 565 b protrudes.

Each of the protruding rib parts 565 c may have a fixing groove. Apacking member 566 may be inserted into the fixing groove. The packingmember 566 may be inserted into the fixing groove, and fixed to theprotruding rib part 565 c.

The packing member 566 may be disposed between the touch panelsupporting part 565 and the board 1910, specifically, between theprotruding surface part 565 a and the board 1910. When the packingmember 566 is inserted into the fixing groove, the packing member 566may protrude further forward than the protruding rib part 565 c and theprotruding and supporting surface part 565 b. Additionally, the packingmember 566 may be formed in a way that the packing member 566 iselastically deformed.

The packing member 566 may be disposed between the protruding surfacepart 565 a and the board 1910 such that the packing member 566 and theboard 1910 overlap. The packing member 566 may apply a force of pushingthe board 1910 forward to the board 1910, and accordingly, the touchmanipulation part 1900 may come into close contact with the frontsurface of the first door main body part 350 a effectively.

Additionally, the supporting panel 550 may further include an outersupport projection 567. In this embodiment, a plurality of outer supportprojections 567 is disposed outside the touch panel supporting part 565and the touch manipulation part 1900, for example.

In this case, the outer support projection 567 may be disposedrespectively outside the touch panel supporting part 565 and the touchmanipulation part 1900 in the up-down direction and outside the touchpanel supporting part 565 and the touch manipulation part 1900 in theleft-right direction. Additionally, each of the outer supportprojections 567 may protrude forward from the main panel part 551 of thesupporting panel 550.

Each of the outer support projections 567 may protrude to contact thefront surface of the first door main body part 350 a. The outer supportprojections 567 formed as described above may support the front surfaceof the first door main body part 350 a from the rear around the touchmanipulation part 1900.

The user needs to press the front surface of the first door main bodypart 350 a to manipulate the touch manipulation part 1900. When themanipulation of the touch manipulation part 1900 is repeated, the frontsurface of the first door main body part 350 a may be deformed as aresult of repetitive press of the front surface of the first door mainbody part 350 a. Since the outer support projection 567 supports thefront surface of the first door main body part 350 a around the touchmanipulation part 1900, the deformation of the door 300, caused by therepetitive manipulation of the touch manipulation part 1900, may beeffectively suppressed.

Additionally, the outer support projection 567 may support the frontsurface of the first door main body part 350 a such that the frontsurface of the first door main body part 350 a is pressed only in afront area of the touch manipulation part 1900, thereby ensuringimprovement in reliability of the manipulation of the touch manipulationpart 1900.

In an example, the touch manipulation part 1900 installed in the touchpanel supporting part 565, having the above structure, may be a metaltouch switch to which a capacitive sensor is applied. One or morecapacitive parts may be formed on the board 1910 of the touchmanipulation part 1900.

The board 1910 may be provided with a booster 1920 at a front thereof.The booster 1920 may be disposed between the front surface of the firstdoor main body part 350 a and the board 1910. The booster 1920 may bedisposed in close contact with the front surface of the first door mainbody part 350 a.

An area of the front surface of the first door main body part 350 a,closely contacting the booster 1920, may be provided with function iconscorresponding functions of the touch manipulation part 1900, and thefunction icons may be formed using raised relief or sunken relief. Whenthe area of the front surface of the first door main body part 350 a ispressed, the booster 1920 may also be pressed, and move rearward.Accordingly, a gap between the booster 1920 and the capacitive part maychange, and accordingly, a touch on the touch manipulation part 1920 maybe recognized based on a change in electric capacity caused by thechange in the gap.

When the booster 1920 closely contacts the front surface of the firstdoor main body part 350 a, a recognition rate of a touch on the touchmanipulation part 1900 may increase. In this embodiment, the packingmember 566 installed in the protruding rib part 565 c may apply a forceof pushing the board 1910 forward to the board 1910, and accordingly,the booster 1920 may come into close contact with the front surface ofthe first door main body part 350 a effectively.

[Structure of Second Heating Part, Receiver Coil and Second ControlBoard]

FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view separately showing a housing anda second heating part in one embodiment, FIG. 35 is a plan view showingthe second heating part in FIG. 34 . Additionally, FIG. 36 is anexploded perspective view separately showing the second heating part,the receiver coil and the electromagnetic shielding plate in FIG. 34 ,and FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling between thesecond heating part and the temperature sensor, and a coupling betweenthe receiver coil and the electromagnetic shielding plate in FIG. 34 .Further, FIG. 38 is a rear view showing the second control board in FIG.34 , and FIG. 39 is a rear view showing a state in which a rear surfacecover is disposed on a rear surface of the second control board in FIG.38 .

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 34 and 35 , the second heating part 600 isdisposed in the lower portion of the tray 200. The second heating part600 is installed in the lower portion of the bottom surface 110 of thehousing 100 and is provided in the form of a heating part which heatsthe tray 200 using a heating method different from that of the firstheating part 400, e.g., in the form of an induction heating part. Theinduction heating part may include a working coil 610 installed in thelower portion of the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 and mayinduce heating of the tray 200 in the lower portion of the tray 200.

The working coil 610 includes a coil installation base 611. In thisembodiment, the coil installation base 611 is illustrated as beingformed in a rectangular shape similar to the shape of the tray 200.Accordingly, the size and shape of the working coil 610 is similar tothose of the tray 200 such that the entire area of the tray 200 isheated by the working coil 610.

As illustrated in FIGS. 35 to 37 , the coil installation base 611 has aspiral groove, in which a coil 613 is installed. The coil 613 is housedin the spiral groove and fixed by being densely wound in an upperportion of the coil installation base 611. A coil connection wiring 615connected to a coil control printed circuit board (PCB) for controllingthe coil 613 is provided at an end of the coil 613.

Further, the second heating part 600 may further include a receiver coil620. The receiver coil 620 is a component provided to receivewirelessly-transmitted power and is disposed in a lower portion of thesecond heating part 600. Also, a base 180 is disposed in a lower portionof the receiver coil 620. The base 180 is coupled to the lower portionof the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 and supports the workingcoil 610, the receiver coil 620, and the like from the lower portion ofthe receiver coil 620 while forming an exterior of the bottom surface ofthe cooking appliance.

Like the working coil 610, the receiver coil 620 may include a coilinstallation base 621 and a coil 623. Unlike the coil installation base611 of the working coil 610, the coil installation base 621 of thereceiver coil 620 is formed in an approximately circular shape.Accordingly, the shape of the receiver coil 620 is similar to the shapeof a working coil of an induction heating part provided at a cooktop.

In this embodiment, the receiver coil 620 is provided to receive powerfrom an induction heating part of another cooking appliance, i.e., acooktop, which is provided in addition to the cooking appliance in thisembodiment.

For example, the cooking appliance in this embodiment may be used in astate of being placed on a cooktop. In this case, power required foroperation of the cooking appliance may be received from an inductionheating part of the cooktop.

In an example, when the working coil of the cooktop and the cookingappliance in this embodiment are operated together while the cookingappliance in this embodiment is placed on the cooktop, power suppliedthrough the cooktop may be delivered to the receiver coil 620.

In this case, a current is induced toward the receiver coil 620 througha magnetic field which changes in the working coil of the cooktop due tomagnetic induction phenomenon. In this way, power supplied through thecooktop may be delivered to the receiver coil 620. In this procedure, inorder to improve power reception efficiency of the receiver coil 620,the cooking appliance in this embodiment may be placed on the cooktopsuch that the position of the receiver coil 620 overlaps with theposition of the working coil provided in the induction heating part ofthe cooktop in the up-down direction.

Further, the induction heating part may further include anelectromagnetic shielding plate 630 disposed between the working coil610 and the receiver coil 620. The electromagnetic shielding plate 630may be provided in the form of a metal plate. The electromagneticshielding plate 630 is disposed between the working coil 610 and thereceiver coil 620 and serves to minimize an influence of electromagneticinterference (EMI) due to the working coil 610 on the receiver coil 620or an influence of EMI due to the receiver coil 620 on the working coil610.

The cooking appliance in this embodiment including the receiver coil 620may be driven by wirelessly receiving power from the induction heatingpart of the cooktop. Since the cooking appliance does not require untidypower cables, the cooking appliance may be provided with a simple andneat exterior, and may be operated by wirelessly receiving power just bybeing placed on the cooktop, and thus the user's satisfaction may befurther met.

As illustrated in FIGS. 34 to 38 , the receiver coil 620 is electricallyconnected to the second control board 700 disposed behind the workingcoil 610 and the receiver coil 620. The power wirelessly delivered fromthe working coil of the cooktop to the receiver coil 620 is transmittedto the second control board 700 electrically connected to the receivercoil 620.

In this embodiment, the inner space in the lower portion of the bottomsurface 110 of the housing 100 and the inner space at the rear of therear surface 140 of the housing 100 are connected to each other. Theworking coil 610 of the induction heating part disposed at the lowerportion of the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 and the secondcontrol board 700 disposed at the rear of the rear surface 140 of thehousing 100 may be electrically connected to each other by a cable. Thecable connects the working coil 610 and the second control board 700through the inner space at the lower portion of the bottom surface 110of the housing 100 and the inner space at the rear of the rear surface140 of the housing 100 which are connected to each other.

A power processing part provided at the second control board 700supplies power required for operation of the induction heating part andthe like of the second heating part 600. The power processing part isconnected to the receiver coil 620 and receives power from the receivercoil 620 and processes the received power to a form suitable for use inthe second heating part 600 and the like. The power processing part mayinclude a noise filter PCB, and a coil control PCB for controllingoperation of the working coil 610 may be provided on the second controlboard 700.

The noise filter PCB serves to remove noise from power to be supplied tothe working coil 610, and the coil control PCB controls the operation ofthe working coil 610. A chip for controlling the operation of theworking coil 610, e.g., an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)chip, may be mounted on the coil control PCB.

The IGBT chip is a kind of high heat generation chip that may requiretemperature management. When the IGBT chip is overheated to apredetermined temperature or more, the IGBT chip is unable to controlthe working coil 610.

In consideration of such an aspect, a second cooling fan 730 isinstalled at the second control board 700. The second cooling fan 730may be a sirocco fan which sucks air from an outside environment of thehousing 100 and discharges the air toward the IGBT chip.

The second cooling fan 730 may be disposed at the side of the IGBT chipand may suck air from the rear side of the housing 100 and discharge theair sideward toward the IGBT chip.

The air introduced into the space portion at the rear of the rearsurface of the housing 100 through the second cooling fan 730 may firstcome into contact with the IGBT chip and a heat sink for cooling theIGBT chip, cool the IGBT chip and the heat sink, cool a portion of thenoise filter PCB, and then be discharged to the outside environment.

The second control board 700 and the second cooling fan 730 may be fixedto a rear surface supporting panel 750, and fixed to the rear surface140 of the housing 100.

The rear surface supporting panel 750, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 51, may be disposed at the rear of the housing 100. The rear surfacesupporting panel 750 may be coupled to the rear surface 140 of thehousing 100, and fixed to the rear of the housing 100. The rear surfacesupporting panel 750 may include a main panel part 751 and a firstprotruding edge part 755.

The main panel part 751 may form a supporting surface supporting thesecond control board 700. In this embodiment, the main panel part 751has a shape, e.g., a rectangular shape, similar to the shape of the rearsurface 140 of the housing 100, for example.

The main panel part 751 may be made of a lightweight insulatingmaterial, and have enough strength to support the second control board700 and various electronic components disposed on the second controlboard.

The first protruding edge part 755 may be disposed on an edge of themain panel part 751. The first protruding edge part 755 may protruderearward from the edge of the main panel part 751. Accordingly, a spaceencircled by the main panel part 751 and the first protruding edge part755 may be formed at the rear of the main panel part 751. Additionally,the second control board 700 and the second cooling fan 730 may bedisposed in the space.

The rear surface supporting panel 750 may include a first area 750 a anda second area 750 b. The first area 750 a may be an area in which thesecond control board 700 is disposed, and the second area 750 b may bean area in which the second control board 700 is not disposed. In thisembodiment, the first area 750 a and the second area 750 b are disposedin the left-right direction, for example. The first area 750 a may bedisposed on the left side, and the second area 750 b may be disposed onthe right side. The first area 750 a may occupy most of the area of therear surface supporting panel 750.

The second cooling fan 730 may be disposed in the second area 750 b.Additionally, a power source connecting part 735 and a communicationmodule 740 may be disposed in the second area 750 b.

The power source connecting part 735 may be installed in the second area750 b while being disposed on the rear surface supporting panel 750. Thepower source connecting part 735 may be disposed in a lateral portion ofthe second control board 700 and electrically connected to the secondcontrol board 700.

In an example, the power source connecting part 735 may be provided inan inlet power socket form. The power source connecting part 735 mayconnect to a plug of a power cable connected to an external powersource, to connect to the external power source. Power supplied throughthe power source connecting part 735 may be processed by the powerprocessing part of the second control board 700 in an appropriate formto be used by the second heating part 60 and the like.

The power source connecting part 735 may be disposed further downwardthan the second cooling fan 730 while being disposed in the lateralportion of the second control board 700. When the power sourceconnecting part 735 is disposed further upward than the second coolingfan 730, the power source connecting part 735 and a power cableconnected to the power source connecting part may be exposed as much asthe power source connecting part 735 is disposed further upward than thesecond cooling fan 730.

When the power cable connected to the power source connecting part 735is disposed upward, the power cable may act as an obstacle and may be acause for the fall of the cooking appliance while the cooking applianceis used.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, the power source connecting part 735may be disposed at a position wherein the power source connecting part735 is hardly exposed, e.g., on an edge of the lower end of the rearsurface of the cooking appliance. Thus, deterioration of aestheticqualities of the cooking appliance, caused due to the power sourceconnecting part 735 and the power cable connected to the power sourceconnecting part 735, may be effectively prevented, or safety issues,caused by the power cable, may be effectively dealt with.

The communication module 740 may be a communication module enablingwireless communication between an external device, e.g., a smartphone,and the cooking appliance.

In an example, the communication module 740 may be a short-rangecommunication module. For example, the communication module 740 may be acommunication module assisting with low power wireless communicationsuch as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). In addition, the communicationmodule 740 may include a module such as a Bluetooth communicationmodule, an NFC communication module and the like, assisting with varioustypes of short-range communication.

In another example, the communication module 740 may be a mobilecommunication module. For example, the communication module 740 mayinclude a module assisting with wireless communication such as Long TermEvolution (LTE), Wi-Fi and the like.

The communication module 740 may be disposed in the lateral portion ofthe second control board 700. Additionally, the communication module 740may be disposed in a lower portion of the second cooling fan 730 and inan upper portion of the power source connecting part 735. That is, thecommunication module 740 may be disposed between the second cooling fan730 and the power source connecting part 735 while being disposed in thelateral portion of the second control board 700.

In the disposition structure of the communication module 740, while thepower source connecting part 735 is disposed at a lowest position amongthe second cooling fan 730, the communication module 740 and the powersource connecting part 735, the communication module 740 may be disposedat a position where a length of wire between the communication module740 and the second control board 700 is shortest.

The cooking appliance in this embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 51and 52 , may further include a rear surface cover 760. The rear surfacecover 760 may be disposed behind the rear surface supporting panel 750and coupled to the rear surface supporting panel 750. The rear surfacecover 760 may include a main cover part 761 and a second protruding edgepart 765.

The main cover part 761 may form a flat surface parallel with the rearsurface supporting panel 750, specifically, the main panel part 751. Inthis embodiment, the main cover part 761 is formed into a shape, e.g., arectangle, similar to the shape of the main panel part 751, for example.The main cover part 761 may be made of a lightweight insulatingmaterial.

The main cover part 761 and the rear surface cover 760 including themain cover part may be disposed between a rear surface of the cabinet170 and the second control board 700. The rear surface cover 760disposed as described above may be provided as an insulating structurefor insulating the cabinet 170 made of metal from the second controlboard 700.

Additionally, the rear surface cover 760 may be provided with a venthole 762. The vent hole 762 may be formed on the main cover part 761 ina way that penetrates in the front-rear direction. The vent hole 762 mayform a passage allowing air to come in and out on the main cover part761.

The vent hole 762 may be spaced a predetermined distance from the secondcooling fan 730. For example, when the second cooling fan 730 isdisposed at a position eccentric to the right side on the rear surfaceof the cooking appliance, the vent hole 752 may be disposed at aposition eccentric to the left side.

Accordingly, air discharged from the second cooling fan 730 may beprevented from leaking out of the rear of the rear surface cover 760 tooearly.

The rear surface cover 760 may have a fan installing hole 763. The faninstalling hole 763 may form a passage allowing a portion of the secondcooling fan 730, disposed between the rear surface supporting panel 750and the rear surface cover 760, to be exposed to the rear of the rearsurface cover 760. The fan installing hole 763 may be formed on the maincover part 761 in a way that penetrates in the front-rear direction andhave a shape corresponding to a shape of the second cooling fan 730.

Most of the area of the second cooling fan 730, specifically, a portionof the second cooling fan 730 exposed to the outside, may be made of aninsulating material. Accordingly, even when the portion of the secondcooling fan 730 is exposed to the rear of the rear surface cover 760 orcontacts the cabinet 170, there is little possibility of an electricproblem.

Among components disposed on the rear surface supporting panel 750, thesecond cooling fan 730 may protrude farthest toward the rear. When aportion of the second cooling fan 730 is exposed to the rear of the rearsurface cover 760 as described above, the rear surface cover 760 may bedisposed on the rear surface of the cooking appliance such that the rearsurface cover 760 does not protrude rearward as much as the portion ofthe second cooling fan 730 is exposed to the rear of the rear surfacecover 760.

That is, a size of the cooking appliance in the front-rear direction maybe reduced as much as the portion of the second cooling fan 730 isexposed to the rear of the rear surface cover 760 or the rear surfacecover 760 is disposed on the rear surface of the cooking appliance.Additionally, as a result of fitted-coupling between the second coolingfan 730 and the rear surface cover 760, a position where the rearsurface supporting panel 750 and the rear surface cover 760 are coupledmay be guided, thereby easing the installation of the rear surface cover760.

The rear surface cover 760 may have a cut part 764. The cut part 764 maybe formed in a way that a portion of the main cover part 761 is cut. Thecut part 764 may form a passage, connecting between the power sourceconnecting part 735 and the cabinet 170, on the rear surface cover 760.

A second protruding edge part 765 may be disposed on an edge of the maincover part 761. The second protruding edge part 765 may protruderearward from the edge of the main cover part 761. The second protrudingedge part 765 may be coupled to the first protruding edge part 755 ofthe rear surface supporting panel 750. As a result of the couplingbetween the second protruding edge part 765 and the first protrudingedge part 755, the rear surface cover 760 and the rear surfacesupporting panel 750 may be coupled such that a predeterminedaccommodating space is formed between the rear surface cover 760 and therear surface supporting panel 750.

In an example, any one of the first protruding edge part 755 and thesecond protruding edge part 765 may be provided with a hook 756, and theother of the first protruding edge part 755 and the second protrudingedge part 765 may be provided with a hook 756 may be provided with ahook groove for a coupling with the hook 756.

A through hole 171 may be formed on the rear surfaces of the secondcontrol board 700 and the cabinet 170 in a way that penetrates in thefront-rear direction. An intake and exhaust grill 175 may be disposed inthe through hole 171.

The through hole 171 may form a passage allowing external air to passthrough the cabinet 170 and flow into the second control board 700 orallowing air around the second control board 700 to pass through thecabinet 170 and be discharged outward.

The intake and exhaust grill 175 may block a foreign substance frompermeating through the through hole 171 while allowing air to beintroduced and discharged through the through hole 171. For example, theintake and exhaust grill 175 may include a louver structure.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 34 to 37 , the second heating part600 of the present embodiment may further include a temperaturemeasuring module 640. The temperature measuring module 640 is providedto measure a temperature of the tray or a temperature of the inside ofthe cooking space 105 in which the tray is disposed.

The temperature measuring module 640 may be disposed at the center ofthe working coil 610. Specifically, the temperature measuring module 640may be disposed at a portion where the coil 613 is not disposed on thecoil installation base 611, e.g., a central portion of the coilinstallation base 611.

The temperature measuring module 640 may be fitted and coupled to theworking coil 610 via a through hole formed in the central portion of thecoil installation base 611. Also, the temperature measuring module 640installed in this way may include a temperature sensor such as athermistor and may be disposed at the lower portion of the bottomsurface 110 of the housing 100 and measure the temperature of the trayor the temperature of the inside of the cooking space 105 in which thetray is disposed.

[Disposition Relationship Among Hinge Assembly, Second Heating Part,Second Control Board, See-Through Window, First Heating Part,Manipulation Device and First Control Board]

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 34 to 39 , the hinge assemblies 800, thesecond heating part 600, and the second control board 700 are disposedin the housing 100.

The cooking space 105 may be formed inside the housing 100, and the tray200 may be installed in the cooking space. The second heating part 600for heating the tray 200 is disposed at the lower portion of the housing100. Also, the hinge assembly 800 which rotatably supports the door 300is disposed at each lateral portion of the housing 100.

The hinge assemblies 800 are disposed at both lateral portions of thehousing 100 in order to stably support the door 300 from both sides ofthe door 300.

Since the upper surface and the front surface of the housing 100 areopen and the second heating part 600 is installed at the lower portionof the housing 100, the hinge assemblies 800 are inevitably disposed atthe rear or both lateral portions of the housing 100. Due to theabove-described reasons, in many ways, it is advantageous for the hingeassemblies 800 to be disposed at both lateral portions of the housing100.

The receiver coil 620 is disposed at the lower portion of the housing100, more specifically, at the lower portion of the second heating part600. Since the receiver coil 620 is disposed at a position most adjacentto a target of wireless power transmission, e.g., the working coil ofthe cooktop, the receiver coil 620 may be disposed at the lower portionof the housing 100.

When the receiver coil 620 is disposed at the lower portion of thehousing 100 together with the working coil 610 of the second heatingpart 600 as described above, the EMI of the working coil 610 or thereceiver coil 620 may affect each other. In consideration of such anaspect, the electromagnetic shielding plate 630 may be disposed betweenthe working coil 610 and the receiver coil 620.

Since the second control board 700 is a component closely related topower reception through the receiver coil 620 and the operation of theworking coil 610, the second control board 700 may be disposed at aposition adjacent to the receiver coil 620 and the working coil 610.

Since the second heating part 600 and the receiver coil 620 are disposedat the lower portion of the housing 100, and the hinge assemblies 800are disposed at both lateral portions of the housing 100, the rear ofthe housing 100 may be the most suitable position for arrangement of thesecond control board 700.

In consideration of such aspect, the second control board 700 may beinstalled in a space at the rear of the rear surface 140 of the housing100. The second control board 700 installed in this way may be disposedat a position very close to the working coil 610 and the receiver coil620. Accordingly, wires for connecting the second control board 700, theworking coil 610, and the receiver coil 620 may be simply configured.

Also, the position of the second control board 700 disposed at the rearof the housing 100 as described above is also close to the hingeassemblies 800. Accordingly, when configuring wires for connecting thesecond control board 700 and the components disposed in the door 300,the wires may be easily concealed inside the hinge assemblies 800. Thereis an advantage in that it is possible to configure the wires in a neatand simple manner such that the wires are not easily exposed to theoutside.

As described above, the second heating part 600 and the receiver coil620, the hinge assemblies 800, and the second control board 700 aredisposed at the lower portion of the housing 100, both lateral portionsof the housing 100, and the rear of the housing 100, respectively. Thecomponents are those suitable to be disposed in the housing 100 and aredisposed at optimal positions that allow the components to functionoptimally, have high structural stability, have neat and simple wiringconfigurations, and efficiently avoid interference therebetween.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 3, 5 and 32 , the see-through window W,the first heating part 400, the manipulation device 1000, and the firstcontrol board 500 are disposed in the door 300. The components are thosemore suitable to be disposed in the door 300 than in the housing 100 dueto functions thereof. Also, in consideration of an aspect that variousother components are already disposed in the housing 100 and thus it isdifficult for other components to be disposed in the housing 100, thesee-through window W, the first heating part 400, the manipulationdevice 1000, and the first control board 500 are more suitable to bedisposed in the door 300 than in the housing 100.

The see-through window W is disposed at the upper portion of the cookingappliance. In consideration of a characteristic of the cooking applianceprovided in the form of a mini oven in that the cooking appliance isgenerally used at a position lower than a user's gaze, the see-throughwindow W may be disposed at the upper portion of the cooking appliancerather than being disposed at the front of the cooking appliance.

The see-through window W is disposed at the upper surface of the door300, more specifically, at the door upper surface part 310. In thiscase, the larger the size of the see-through window W, the moreadvantageous it is for securing the field of view for the inside of thecooking space 105. However, the size of the see-through window W may beset to a size that allows a space required for installation of the firstheating part 400 and the cable mounting parts 340 and 345 to be securedin the door upper surface part 310.

Like the see-through window W, the first heating part 400 is disposed inthe door upper surface part 310. This is a result of designing the firstheating part 400 to be disposed at an upper portion facing the secondheating part 600 with the tray 200 disposed therebetween. That is, thefirst heating part 400 is disposed on the door upper surface part 310 soas to be disposed higher than the tray 200.

The first heating part 400 installed in the door upper surface part 310together with the see-through window W as described above may bedisposed at a position at which the first heating part 400 is notexposed through the see-through window W when viewed from the top. Whenthe first heating part 400 is disposed in a region exposed through thesee-through window W, it is aesthetically not pleasing, a problem mayoccur in securing the field of view through the see-through window W,and a problem that the temperature of a portion of the see-throughwindow W rises may also occur.

Also, in consideration of the shape of the door front surface part 350having a rectangular shape in which a front-rear length is longer than aleft-right length, the first heating part 400 may be disposed at thefront outer side and the rear outer side of the see-through window W sothat a length of the first heating part 400 may be increasedaccordingly, and improvement in thermal power of the first heating part400 may be expected as much as the increase in the length of the firstheating part 400.

In consideration of such aspects, the first heating part 400 is disposedat each of the front outer side and the rear outer side of thesee-through window W. In this way, it may be advantageous to securefunctional advantages such as maintaining aesthetics, maintaining asecured field of view, suppressing a temperature rise of the see-throughwindow W, and improving thermal power of the first heating part 400.

Since the see-through window W and the first heating part 400 aredisposed in the door upper surface part 310 as described above, most ofthe region of the door upper surface part 310 is occupied by thesee-through window W and the first heating part 400. Also, themanipulation device 1000 and the first control board 500 are disposed inthe door front surface part 350 instead of the door upper surface part310.

In consideration of the state in which most of the region of the doorupper surface part 310 is occupied by the see-through window W and thefirst heating part 400, it is not easy to secure a space for installingthe manipulation device 1000 in the door upper surface part 310. Also,when the manipulation device 1000 is disposed in the door upper surfacepart 310, in the process of opening the door 300, a collision may occurbetween the manipulation device 1000 and an obstacle disposed at theupper portion of the cooking appliance, and there is a risk of damage ofthe manipulation device 1000. Particularly, when the manipulation device1000 is provided in the form protruding from the door 300, the risk iseven greater.

Also, the door upper surface part 310 in which the first heating part400 is disposed is likely to have a higher temperature than the doorfront surface part 350. Considering that the manipulation device 1000 isa component held by the user's hand and manipulated, when themanipulation device 1000 is disposed in the door upper surface part 310,the possibility that the user will come into contact with a hot portionof the door upper surface part 310 in the process of manipulating themanipulation device 1000 may be increased. That is, when themanipulation device 1000 is disposed in the door upper surface part 310,a risk that the user will suffer an injury such as a burn in the processof manipulating the manipulation device 1000 may be increased.

In consideration of such aspect, the manipulation device 1000 isdisposed in the door front surface part 350 instead of the door uppersurface part 310. Since the manipulation device 1000 is disposed in thedoor front surface part 350, the user may safely and convenientlycontrol the operation of the cooking appliance from the front of thecooking appliance.

In addition to the manipulation device 1000, the first control board 500is also disposed in the door front surface part 350. Various componentsand circuits related to reception of manipulation signals input via themanipulation device 1000, generation of control signals for controllingoperations of the first heating part 400 and the second heating part600, and the like may be provided in the first control board 500.Therefore, in particular, the first control board 500 may beelectrically connected to the manipulation device 1000.

In this embodiment, like the manipulation device 1000, the first controlboard 500 is installed in the door front surface part 350 and disposedat a position very close to the manipulation device 1000. Therefore,connection between the manipulation device 1000 and the first controlboard 500 may be configured in the form in which the manipulation device1000 is directly connected to the first control board 500, and,accordingly, a very simple and stable connection structure may beprovided for the manipulation device 1000 and the first control board500.

Also, since the first control board 500 is installed in the door frontsurface part 350 instead of the door upper surface part 310 in which thefirst heating part 400, which is a heat generating component, isdisposed, the first control board 500 may be disposed at a positiondeviated, to some extent, from an influence of heat generated by thefirst heating part 400. In this way, since an influence of heat, whichis generated during operation of the first heating part 400, on thefirst control board 500 may be reduced accordingly, and the stabilityand operational reliability of the cooking appliance may be furtherimproved.

[Structure of Door Frame]

FIG. 42 is a perspective view separately showing the door frame in FIG.41 , and FIG. 43 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a statein which a door frame, a first heating part and a protective grille arecoupled. Additionally, FIG. 44 is a bottom view showing the state inwhich the door frame, the first heating part and the protective grilleare coupled. Further, FIG. 45 is a cross-sectional view along line“XXXXV-XXXXV” in FIG. 40 , and FIG. 46 is a cross-sectional view alongline “XXXXVI-XXXXVI” in FIG. 40 . Furthermore, FIG. 47 is a perspectiveview showing a coupling structure between a door frame and a hinge part,FIG. 48 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling structure between adoor frame and a hinge part, and FIG. 49 is a cross-sectional viewshowing a coupling structure among a door frame, a hinge part and adoor.

In FIG. 43 , a glass and a reflector are excluded, and in FIGS. 45 to 48, a glass is excluded.

Referring to FIGS. 40 to 43 , the door frame 320 is coupled to the door300 in such a way that the door frame 320 covers the lower portion ofthe door upper surface part 310. The door frame 320 may be coupled tothe door 300 in such a way that the door frame 320 supports the firstheating part 400. Also, the first heating part 400 coupled to the doorframe 320 may be maintained in a state of being disposed in the door300, more specifically, at the lower portion of the door upper surfacepart 310.

The door frame 320 may include a coupling part 321 and a heater mountingpart 325. The heater mounting part 325 may be provided in the formprotruding from the coupling part 321, and the first heating part 400may be coupled to the heater mounting part 325.

The coupling part 321 may be coupled to the door upper surface part 310so that the heater mounting part 325 is supported by the door uppersurface part 310. The coupling part 321 may be provided in the form of asquare-shaped frame in which a through hole is formed.

A seating surface 322 may be formed at an inner lateral surface of thecoupling part 321 adjacent to the through hole. The seating surface 322may form a plane whose height is lower than that of an upper surface ofthe coupling part 321, and surrounding portions of edges of the glass335 may be seated on the seating surface 322.

In this way, the glass 335 seated on the seating surface 322 may bedisposed at upper portions of the heater mounting part 325 and the firstheating part 400 installed at the heater mounting part 325 in such a waythat the glass 335 covers the through hole from the top. In this case,the seating surface 322 may form a plane whose height is lower than thatof the upper surface of the coupling part 321. The seating surface 322may form a plane whose height is lower than that of the coupling part321 as much as a height substantially corresponding to a thickness ofthe glass 335. In this way, the glass 335 may be installed in the doorframe 320 while being disposed at a position where the glass 335 doesnot protrude upward past the upper surface of the coupling part 321.

The seating surface 322 may be disposed at both sides of the throughhole in the left-right direction. The seating surface 322 may also bedisposed at one side or the other side of the through hole in thefront-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the seating surface 322is disposed on both sides of the through hole in the left-rightdirection and the front-rear direction of the through hole. Accordingly,the glass 335 may be stably installed in the door frame 320 such thatsurrounding portions of four edges of the glass 335 are supported by theseating surface 322.

Also, since movement of the glass 335 in the left-right direction isrestricted by the inner lateral surface of the coupling part 321surrounding the seating surface 322, an installation position of theglass 335 may be guided in the left-right direction, and shaking of theglass 335 may be suppressed in the left-right direction such that theinstallation of the glass 335 may be stably performed.

Meanwhile, the first heating part 400 may include a heating element 410,a first connection end 420, and a second connection end 430.

The heating element 410 corresponds to a portion emitting heat in thefirst heating part 400 provided in the form of an electric heater. Theheating element 410 may be formed in the shape of a rod having apredetermined length.

The first connection end 420 is disposed at an end of one side of theheating element 410 in the length-wise direction, and the secondconnection end 430 is disposed at an end of the other side of theheating element 410 in the length-wise direction.

At least one of the first connection end 420 and the second connectionend 430 includes a cylinder-shaped part 421 and a key-shaped part 425.In the present embodiment, both the first connection end 420 and thesecond connection end 430 are illustrated as including thecylinder-shaped part 421 and the key-shaped part 425.

The cylinder-shaped part 421 is disposed at an end of the heatingelement 410 in the length-wise direction. The cylinder-shaped part 421may be formed in a cylindrical shape in which an underside of a circularshape is disposed at the outermost end of the first heating part 410.

The key-shaped part 425 is disposed between the heating element 410 andthe cylinder-shaped part 421. That is, the key-shaped part 425 isdisposed at both side ends of the heating element 410 in the length-wisedirection, and the cylinder-shaped part 421 is disposed at the outermostside of the heating element 410 in the length-wise direction.

The key-shaped part 425 may be formed in a flat hexahedral shape whosethickness is smaller than a diameter of the cylinder-shaped part 421 andwhose width is larger than the diameter of the cylinder-shaped part 421.For example, a pair of quadrilateral surfaces 426 (hereinafter referredto as “first surfaces”) parallel to a width direction of the key-shapedpart 425 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in athickness direction of the key-shaped part 425 and form two lateralsurfaces of the key-shaped part 425. Also, two pairs of quadrilateralsurfaces 427 (hereinafter referred to as “second surfaces”) parallel tothe thickness direction of the key-shaped part 425 may be disposedbetween the pair of first surfaces 426 and form an upper surface and alower surface of the key-shaped part 425.

In this case, the first surface 426 may be formed of a quadrilateralsurface having a side longer than the diameter of the cylinder-shapedpart 421, and the second surface 427 may be formed of a quadrilateralsurface having a side shorter than the diameter of the cylinder-shapedpart 421.

Therefore, when the first connection end 420 or the second connectionend 430 is viewed in the length-wise direction of the first heating part410, the cylinder-shaped part 421 may protrude outward past thekey-shaped part 425 in the radial direction of the cylinder-shaped part421 in most of the region, and the key-shaped part 425 may protrudeoutward past the cylinder-shaped part 421 in the radial direction of thecylinder-shaped part 421 only in a portion of the region.

The heater mounting part 325 is provided to fix the first connection end420 and the second connection end 430 as described above. The heatermounting part 325 may include a first connection end fixing part 326which fixes the first connection end 420 and a second connection endfixing part 327 which fixes the second connection end 430.

At least one of the first connection end fixing part 326 and the secondconnection end fixing part 327 may include a cover a and a support wallb. In the present embodiment, both the first connection end fixing part326 and the second connection end fixing part 327 are illustrated asidentically including the cover a and the support wall b.

The cover a is provided in the form of surrounding the surroundingportions of the connection end from the outer side of the connection endin the circumferential direction. The cover a may be formed in a curvedshape surrounding a lower portion and a lateral portion of theconnection end and may be formed in a length corresponding to a lengthof the connection end or in a length slightly longer than the length ofthe connection end.

In this embodiment, the cover a has a “U” shape, for example. The covera may be formed in a way that encircles a lower portion and both lateralportions of a support wall b while encircling the support wall b. Thecover a may have an upper portion that is open.

Further, the heater mounting part 325 may further include a firsttransverse supporter 323. The first transverse supporter 323 is disposedat a side farther from the center of the cooking space in the front-reardirection than the first heating part 400 and connects the firstconnection end fixing part 326 and the second connection end fixing part327 to each other. The first transverse supporter 323 may be formed intoa plate having a length extending along the length-wise direction of thefirst heating part 400.

Additionally, the heater mounting part 325 may further include a secondtransverse supporter 324. The second transverse supporter 324 may bebiased toward a center of the cooking space in the front-rear directionthereof than to the first heating part 400 and may connect between thefirst connection end fixing part 326 and the second connection endfixing part 327. In other words, the second transverse supporter 324 maybe disposed to face the first transverse supporter 323 with the cover abetween the first transverse supporter 323 and the second transversesupporter 324 and may connect between the first connection end fixingpart 326 and the second connection end fixing part 327.

Like the first transverse supporter 323, the second transverse supporter324 may be formed into a plate having a length extending along thelength-wise direction of the first heating part 400

In this embodiment, the first connection end fixing part 326 and thesecond connection end fixing part 327 may be respectively disposed atends of both sides of the first heating part 400 in the length-wisedirection thereof. Additionally, the first transverse supporter 323 maybe disposed farther from a center of the cooking space in the front-reardirection thereof than the first heating part 400. The second transversesupporter 324 may be biased toward the center of the cooking space inthe front-rear direction thereof than the first heating part 400.

Additionally, the cover a may be respectively mounted onto the firstconnection end fixing part 326 and the second connection end fixing part327, and each cover a may connect respectively to ends of the firsttransverse supporter 323 and the second transverse supporter 324 in thelength-wise direction thereof.

That is, upper sides of each of the covers a may respectively connect tothe first transverse supporter 323 and the second transverse supporter324.

The support wall b is disposed in the space surrounded by the cover a.The support wall b may be formed to protrude toward the space from thecover a. The support wall b formed in this way may divide the spacesurrounded by the cover a into an inner side space and an outer sidespace in the length-wise direction of the first heating part 400. Also,the connection end may be fitted and coupled to the support wall b.

The support wall b may have a seating groove c.

The seating groove c may be concavely formed on the support wall b. Anentrance of the seating groove c may be open upward. By acylinder-shaped part a being fitted into the seating groove c, theconnection end may be fitted and coupled to the support wall b.

Also, the connection end may further include an extension part 422. Theextension part 422 may be formed by the cylinder-shaped part 421extending toward the key-shaped part 425. The extension part 422 isformed to protrude outward in the thickness direction of the key-shapedpart 425 from the first surface 426 of the key-shaped part 425 so that astep 423 is formed at a surface of the extension part 422 parallel tothe width direction of the key-shaped part 425, that is, between theextension part 422 and the first surface 426. By having the extensionpart 422 formed in this way, a region in which the extension part 422and the key-shaped part 425 overlap with each other is formed in aportion of the key-shaped part 425 adjacent to the cylinder-shaped part421.

In this region, the extension part 422 protrudes further in thethickness direction of the key-shaped part 425 than the first surface426 of the key-shaped part 425, and the second surface 427 of thekey-shaped part 425 protrudes further in the width direction of thekey-shaped part 425 than the extension part 422.

Since the extension part 422 is formed as described above, a strength ofa coupling portion between the cylinder-shaped part 421 and thekey-shaped part 425 may be further reinforced. When the extension part422 is not present, the coupling portion between the cylinder-shapedpart 421 and the key-shaped part 425 would be limited to an end portionof a lateral surface of the key-shaped part 425. However, since theextension part 422 is formed at the connection end, the coupling portionbetween the cylinder-shaped part 421 and the key-shaped part 425 mayextend to the point where the extension part 422 and the key-shaped part425 overlap with each other, and thus the strength of the couplingportion between the cylinder-shaped part 421 and the key-shaped part 425may be further reinforced.

The heater mounting part 325 may further include a connection endsupporting member 329. The connection end supporting member 329 may fixa connection end to the support wall b while pressing the connection endseated in the seating groove c in a direction where the connection endclosely contacts the support wall b. The connection end supportingmember 329 may include a coil spring 329 a disposed in upper portions ofthe seating groove c and the support wall b.

The coil spring 329 a may be disposed in a direction across an entranceof the seating groove c in the upper portion of the seating groove c.The coil spring disposed as described above may be disposed to block theentrance of the seating groove c from the connection end.

The coil spring 329 a may be provided with a first coupling part 329 bat one end of the coil spring 329 a in a length-wise direction thereof,and a second coupling part 329 c at the other end in the length-wisedirection thereof.

The support wall b may be provided with a first spring coupling part jand a second spring coupling part k in the upper portion thereof. Thefirst spring coupling part j and the second spring coupling part k maybe spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other with theseating groove c therebetween while being disposed in the upper portionof the support wall b.

The first coupling part 329 b may be coupled to the first springcoupling part j, and the second coupling part 329 c may be coupled tothe second spring coupling part k.

In this embodiment, the first coupling part 329 b and the secondcoupling part 329 c are respectively formed into a ring having a hollowhole that is formed in the up-down direction, for example.

Additionally, any one of the first spring coupling part j and the secondspring coupling part k may be formed into a projection protruding upwardfrom the support wall b, and the other of the first spring coupling partj and the second spring coupling part k may have a fastening hole thatextends in the up-down direction in the support wall b.

In this embodiment, the first spring coupling part j is formed into aprojection protruding upward from the support wall b, and the secondspring coupling part k has a fastening hole that is formed in thesupport wall b, for example.

In this case, as a result of fitted-coupling between the first couplingpart 329 b and the first spring coupling part j, one side of theconnection end supporting member 329 in the length-wise direction andthe support wall b may be coupled. As a result of screw-coupling betweenthe second coupling part 329 c and the second spring coupling part k,the other side of the connection end supporting member 329 in thelength-wise direction and the support wall b may be coupled.

The coil spring installed as described above may keep pressing theconnection end downward, in the upper portion of the connection end.Accordingly, the connection end may be elastically supported by the coilspring, i.e., the connection end supporting member 329, in the seatinggroove c.

With the above structure for supporting the connection end, the firstheating part 400 is much less likely to be broken. In the abovestructure for supporting the connection end, when an impact is appliedto the first heating part 400 or an impact applied to the door 300 isdelivered to the first heating part 400 during opening and closing thedoor 300, the impact on the first heating part 400 may be significantlybuffered.

If the first heating part 400 is firmly fixed to an inside of theseating groove c not to make any movement, the first heating part 400may be entirely affected by an impact applied to the first heating part400, and may be highly likely to be broken.

In this embodiment, the first heating part 400 may be elasticallysupported by the connection end supporting member 329. Accordingly, whenan impact is applied to the first heating part 400, the first heatingpart 400 may not be affected by the impact to a certain degree whilemoving in the seating groove c, and then return to a primary state andthen maintain the state stably.

That is, in this embodiment, the first heating part 400 may be stablydisposed on the heater mounting part 325 while being elasticallysupported by the connection end supporting member 329, and the damage tothe first heating part 400, caused by an impact, may be effectivelysuppressed.

In the above structure for supporting the connection end, the firstheating part 400 may be installed simply by screw-coupling the otherside of the connection end supporting member 329 in the length-wisedirection may be screw-coupled to the second spring coupling part k in astate in which one side of the connection end supporting member 329 inthe length-wise direction thereof is held and fixed to the first springcoupling part j.

In summary, with the above structure for supporting the connection endusing the connection end supporting member 329, the first heating part400 may be stably installed, less likely to be broken, and ensureimprovement in convenience of installation.

953

Meanwhile, each of the first connection end fixing part 326 and thesecond connection end fixing part 327 may further include an outer wallf. The outer wall f may be disposed at an outer side of each supportwall b in a length-wise direction of the heating element 410 and may beconnected to the inner lateral surface of the coupling part 321. Theouter wall f forms an outermost side wall of each of the firstconnection end fixing part 326 and the second connection end fixing part327 in the length-wise direction of the heating element 410.

A space surrounded by the cover a, the support wall b, and the outerwall f is formed in each of the first connection end fixing part 326 andthe second connection end fixing part 327. The corresponding space is aspace whose side and lower portions are surrounded by the cover a, thesupport wall b and the outer wall f. At least a portion of thecylinder-shaped part 421 at a fixing end fixed to the first connectionend fixing part 326 or the second connection end fixing part 327 isinserted into the space.

In the space, the cylinder-shaped part 421 may be connected to a cable.The cable connected to the cylinder-shaped part 421 may be a signalcable which transmits a control signal generated in the first controlboard 500 to the first heating part 400, may be a power cable whichsupplies power to the first heating part 400, or may be both the signalcable and the power cable.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the signal cable and the power cable may beinstalled at the cable mounting parts 340 and 345 provided in the doorupper surface part 310. Also, the coupling between the door uppersurface part 310 and the door frame 320 is performed in a state in whichthe coupling part 321 covers the portions where the cable mounting parts340 and 345 are disposed.

A plurality of fastening bosses 341 and 346 may be disposed in the cablemounting parts 340 and 345. Also, a plurality of fastening holes 320 amay be disposed in the door frame 320 so as to correspond to thefastening bosses. When portions where the fastening holes 320 a and thefastening bosses are formed are fastened using a fastening member aftermatching the positions of the door upper surface part 310 and the doorframe 320 so that the positions of the fastening holes 320 a and thefastening bosses 341 and 346 match with each other, the coupling betweenthe door upper surface part 310 and the door frame 320 may be performed.In this case, the portions where the cable mounting parts 340 and 345are disposed are covered by the coupling part 321.

Although the glasses 330 and 335 do not cover the portions where thecable mounting parts 340 and 345 are disposed, the first heating part400 and the heater mounting part 325 are disposed at a lower portion ofa region covered by the glass 335. Therefore, for the cables installedat the cable mounting parts 340 and 345 to be connected to theconnection end, as illustrated in FIGS. 53 to 56 , a passage should beformed between the region of the coupling part 321 not covered by theglass 335 and the region of the heater mounting part 325 covered by theglass 335.

In consideration of such aspect, in the present embodiment, a concavegroove g is provided in a connecting portion between the outer wall fand the coupling part 321. At the connecting portion between the outerwall f and the coupling part 321, the concave groove g forms the uppersurface of the coupling part 321, more specifically, a surface moreconcave than the seating surface 322 of the coupling part 321. Theconcave groove g formed in this way provides a gap through which thecable may pass to be disposed at a lower portion of the glass 335 seatedon the seating surface 322, thereby allowing a passage through which thecable may pass to be disposed between the cable mounting parts 340 and345 (see FIG. 7 ) and the space housing the cylinder-shaped part 421 ofthe connection end.

Meanwhile, the cooking appliance of the present embodiment may furtherinclude a reflector 440 and a protective grill 450.

The reflector 440 may be a component configured to reflect heat of thefirst heating part 400 to concentrate the heat of the first heating part400 on the tray 200 (see FIG. 1 ). The reflector 440 may reflect theheat of the first heating part 400 while blocking the first heating part400 from the first transverse supporter 323 and blocking the firstheating part 400 from the glass 335.

The reflector 440, as illustrated in FIGS. 41, 44 and 45 , may include afirst reflector 441 and a second reflector 445.

The first reflector 441 may be disposed between the first heating part400 and the glass 335. The first reflector 441 may block the firstheating part 400 from the glass 335, and block the first heating part400 from the first transverse supporter 323.

The first reflector 441 may be formed into a surface that is acrossamong the first heating part 400, the first transverse supporter 323,and the glass 335 at a slant. In this embodiment, the first reflector441 has a rounded inclined shape, e.g., a shape similar to a “9” shape,for example.

The second reflector 445 may be disposed between the first reflector 441and the glass 335. The second reflector 445 may block the firstreflector 441 from the glass 335.

The second reflector 445 may be formed into a flat surface parallel withthe glass 335. The second reflector 445 may connect to the firstreflector 441 in an upper portion of the first reflector 441.

The reflector 440 may be formed in a way that a single metal plate isbent such that the first reflector 441 and the second reflector 445integrally connect to each other. For example, the reflector 440 may beformed in a way that a single metal plate is bent such that the firstreflector 441 in an upper portion and the second reflector 445 in alower portion connect to each other in a “t” shape.

The reflector 440 may be made of an elastically deformable metalmaterial. In the reflector 440, the first reflector 441 rounded of thefirst reflector 441 and the second reflector 445 may be elasticallydeformed in the up-down direction or in the front-rear direction.

Between the first reflector 441 and the second reflector 445 disposed inthe up-down direction, a space encircled by the first reflector 441 andthe second reflector 445 and the first transverse supporter 323 may beformed.

In the space, heat transfer between the first reflector 441 and thesecond reflector 445 may be suppressed. That is, the space may suppressthe transfer of heat of the first heating part 400, which heats thefirst reflector 441 adjacent to the first heating part 400, to thesecond reflector 445.

Accordingly, an increase in temperature of the upper surface of the door300, i.e., the door upper surface part 310, caused by the heat of thefirst heating part 400, may be suppressed to some degree.

The reflector 440 may be disposed on the door frame 320 as a result ofcoupling to the second transverse supporter 324 and the cover a.

To this end, the second transverse supporter 324 may be provided with afirst reflector supporting projection 1, and the cover a may be providedwith a second reflector supporting projection m.

The second reflector supporting projection m may protrude from the covera. In this embodiment, the cover a may have a “U” shape that encirclesthe reflector 440 from the front, the rear and the lower portion. Thecover a may include a floor surface disposed in a lower portion of thereflector 440, and a lateral wall disposed at a front or a rear of thereflector 440.

The first reflector supporting projection 1 may protrude from the secondtransverse supporter 324 toward the first transverse supporter 323. Thefirst reflector supporting projection 1 may be disposed further upwardthan the reflector 440. In this case, the first reflector supportingprojection 1 may be disposed near a lateral wall of the lateral walls ofthe cover a, which is adjacent to the second transverse supporter 324.

The second reflector supporting projection m may be disposed near alateral wall of the lateral walls of the cover a, which is adjacent tothe first transverse supporter 323. The second reflector supportingprojection m may protrude at a position spaced a predetermined distanceapart from the lateral walls of the cover a while protruding from thefloor surface of the cover a.

The first reflector supporting projection 1 disposed further upward thanthe reflector 440 may interfere with the second reflector 445 toregulate an up-down position of the second reflector 445. That is, anupper surface of the second reflector 445 may contact the firstreflector supporting projection 1 disposed further upward than thereflector 440. Accordingly, the up-down position of the second reflector445 may be regulated to an area further downward than the firstreflector supporting projection 1.

An end on a lower side of the first reflector 441 may be inserted into aspace between the lateral wall of the cover a and the second reflectorsupporting projection m. Accordingly, the first reflector 441 and thecover a may be fitted-coupled. As a result of the fitted-couplingbetween the first reflector 441 the cover a, a front-rear position ofthe first reflector 441 may be regulated.

As described above, the up-down position of the second reflector 445 maybe regulated by the first reflector supporting projection 1, and thefront-rear and up-down positions of the first reflector 441 may beregulated by the second reflector supporting projection m. Accordingly,the reflector 440 may be guided and installed into an area between afloor surface of the cover a and the first reflector supportingprojection 1 and into an area between both lateral walls of the cover a.

The reflector 440 may have an up-down length greater than a distancebetween the floor surface of the cover a and the first reflectorsupporting projection 1, and may be elastically deformed in the up-downand front-rear directions. Accordingly, for the reflector 440, the firstreflector 441 may be fitted-coupled to the cover a, and the secondreflector 445 may be fixed to an inner area of the cover a in a way thatthe second reflector 445 is fitted to a lower portion of the firstreflector supporting projection 1.

In this case, the reflector 440 may be installed in a way that thereflector 440 contracts in the up-down direction between the floorsurface of the cover a and the first reflector supporting projection 1.Thus, the reflector 440 may be firmly fixed to the inner area of thecover a.

The reflector 400 installed as described above may reflect heat of thefirst heating part 400 while blocking the first heating part 400 fromthe first transverse supporter 323 and blocking the first heating part400 from the glass 335, thereby contributing to the concentration of theheat of the first heating part 400 on the tray 200.

The protective grill 450, as illustrated in FIGS. 40 to 43 , is providedas a component for protecting the first heating part 400 while allowingthe heat of the first heating part 400 to be transmitted to the tray200. The protective grill 450 is spaced apart from the first transversesupporter 323 with the first heating part 400 between the protectivegrill 450 and the first transverse supporter 323, or spaced apart fromthe glass 335 with the first heating part 400 between the protectivegrill 450 and the glass 335.

The protective grill 450 may include a plurality of steel wires 451.Each steel wire 451 has a length extending in the length-wise directionof the first heating part 400 in such a way that each steel wire 451 hasa length substantially corresponding to the length of the first heatingpart 400 or a length slightly longer than the length of the firstheating part 400.

The plurality of steel wires 451 are arranged in the form surroundingthe surrounding portion of the first heating part 400 from the outsideof the first heating part 400 in the circumferential direction. Theplurality of steel wires 451 may be spaced a predetermined distanceapart from each other in the circumferential direction of the firstheating part 400.

In this embodiment, the surrounding portion of the first heating part400 in the circumferential direction is surrounded by the reflector 440and the protective grill 450. That is, one side of the first heatingpart 400 in the front-rear direction and an upper portion of the firstheating part 400 are surrounded by the reflector 440, and the remainingportions of the first heating part 400, that is, the other side of thefirst heating part 400 in the front-rear direction, and the lowerportion of the first heating part 400 are surrounded by the protectivegrill 450.

Accordingly, the plurality of steel wires 451 are arranged in the formof surrounding the other side of the first heating part 400 in thefront-rear direction and the lower portion of the first heating part 400from the outer side of the first heating part 400 in the circumferentialdirection.

The protective grill 450 may be installed in the door frame 320 in sucha way that ends of both sides of the protective grill 450 in thelength-wise direction thereof are respectively fixed to the firstconnection end fixing part 326 and the second connection end fixing part327 and disposed on the door frame 320.

To this end, a grill fixing part may be provided in each of the firstconnection end fixing part 326 and the second connection end fixing part327. The grill fixing part is provided as a means for fixing the steelwires 451 of the protective grill 450 to the heater mounting part 325.The grill fixing part may include a plurality of fixing ribs h.

The plurality of fixing ribs h are spaced a predetermined distance apartfrom each other in the direction in which the plurality of steel wires451 are arranged. Also, each fixing rib h is formed to protrude from thecover a toward the first heating part 400. Accordingly, a fixing groovemay be formed between the fixing ribs h. The distance between the fixingribs h may be determined such that the fixing groove has a widthcorresponding to a thickness of the steel wire 451.

By fitting and fixing the steel wire 451 to each of the fixing groovesformed among the plurality of fixing ribs h as described above, theprotective grill 450 and the grill fixing part may be fitted-coupled. Inthis way, the protective grill 450 may be easily and rapidly installedin the door frame 320 simply by fitting and fixing the ends of bothsides of the protective grill 450 to the grill fixing part formed ineach of the first connection end fixing part 326 and the secondconnection end fixing part 327.

Further, the plurality of fixing ribs h formed to protrude from thecover a as described above may also serve as reinforcing structures forimproving the strength of the cover a.

The heater mounting part 325 may further include a grill supporting part328. The grill supporting part 328 may be disposed between a firstconnection end fixing part 326 and a second connection end fixing part327. The grill supporting part 328 may support steel wires between thefirst connection end fixing part 326 and the second connection endfixing part 327.

The grill supporting part 328 may include a cover 328 a and a pluralityof fixing ribs 328 b. The cover 328 a may have a shape identical with orsimilar to a shape of the cover a of the first connection end fixingpart 326 or the second connection end fixing part 327. For example, thecover 328 a may have a “U” shape having an upper portion open.

The plurality of fixing ribs 328 b may have a shape identical with orsimilar to a shape of the fixing rib h of the first connection endfixing part 326 or the second connection end fixing part 327. That is,the fixing ribs 328 b may be spaced a predetermined distance apart fromeach other along a direction in which a plurality of steel wires 451 arearranged. Each of the fixing ribs 328 b may protrude from the cover 328a, and accordingly, a fixing groove may be formed between the fixingribs 328 b.

The steel wire 451 may be fitted and fixed into each of the fixinggrooves formed among the plurality of fixing ribs 328 b, such that theprotective grill 450 and the grill supporting part 328 arefitted-coupled.

The grill supporting part 328, disposed between the first connection endfixing part 326 and the second connection end fixing part 327 asdescribed above, may support the protective grill 450 between the firstconnection end fixing part 326 and the second connection end fixing part327, to suppress sagging of a central portion of the protective grill450 in a length-wise direction thereof and to ensure stable fixation ofthe protective grill 450.

Additionally, the cover a of any one of the first connection end fixingpart 326 and the second connection end fixing part 327 may be providedwith a grill passing hole, as illustrated in FIGS. 55 and 59 . In thisembodiment, the cover a of the first connection end fixing part 326 isprovided with the grill passing hole, for example. The grill passinghole may form a passage needed for the steel wire 451 of the protectivegrill 450 to pass through the cover a in the up-down direction.

The grill passing hole may be disposed at an end of the cover a,specifically, at an end of one side of the cover a, facing the secondconnection end fixing part 327. In this embodiment, the fixing rib h maybe disposed between the support wall b and the grill passing hole. Thegrill passing hole may be open toward the second connection end fixingpart 327 and may include a wide width part n and a narrow width part o.

The wide width part n may be disposed at an end of the cover a in alength-wise direction thereof, specifically, between the end of one sideof the cover a, facing the second connection end fixing part 327, andthe fixing rib h. The wide width part n may be formed in a way thatpasses through the cover a.

The narrow width part o may be disposed between the wide width part nand the fixing rib h, and formed in a way that passes through the covera. The narrow width part o may be open toward the second connection endfixing part 327. The narrow width part o may connect to the wide widthpart n and may have a width less than a width of the wide width part n.

The narrow width part o may have a width less than that of the widewidth part n, and may be disposed inside the wide width part n in awidth-wise direction thereof. The narrow width part o may have a widthcorresponding to a thickness of the steel wire 451 while having a widthgreater than the thickness of the steel wire 451.

At least one of the fixing grooves, formed among the plurality of fixingribs h disposed in the first connection end fixing part 326, may bedisposed at a position where at least one of the fixing grooves does notoverlap the narrow width part o in the up-down direction whileoverlapping the wide width part n in the up-down direction.

Thus, the first connection end fixing part 326 may be provided with apassage needed for the steel wire 451 of the protective grill 450 topass through the cover a in the up-down direction, and a structure forfixing the steel wire 451 to the first connection end fixing part 326.

In this embodiment, the steel wire 451 may be installed in a way thatone side of the steel wire 451 in a length-wise direction thereof isfixed to the second connection end fixing part 327 and then the otherside of the steel wire 451 in the length-wise direction thereof is fixedto the first connection end fixing part 326.

If the first heating part 400 or the reflector 450 is first installed,it is difficult for the steel wire 451 to be installed in a way that thesteel wire 451 is fitted into the first connection end fixing part 326and the second connection end fixing part 327 from an upper portion ofthe door frame 320 to a lower portion thereof.

In this case, the steel wire 451 may be installed in a way that thesteel wire 451 is fitted into the first connection end fixing part 326and the second connection end fixing part 327 in the lateral direction.

To this end, the steel wire 451 may pass through the inner area of thegrill supporting part 328 from the first connection end fixing part 326side in the lateral direction. Then the steel wire 451 may be pushed inthe lateral direction, fitted into the second connection end fixing part327, fitted into the fixing groove of the second connection end fixingpart 327 and then fixed.

In a state in which one side of the steel wire 451 in the length-wisedirection thereof is fixed, the other side of the steel wire 451 in thelength-wise direction thereof may be disposed in the lower portion ofthe first connection end fixing part 326. For the other side of thesteel wire 451 in the length-wise direction thereof to be fitted intothe first connection end fixing part 326, the other side of the steelwire 451 in the length-wise direction thereof needs to pass through thecover a in the upward direction.

In this embodiment, the other side of the steel wire 451 in thelength-wise direction thereof may pass through the grill passing hole,pass through the cover a, and inserted into the first connection endfixing part 326. The steel wire 451, inserted into the first connectionend fixing part 326 as described above, may be fitted into and fixed tothe fixing groove of the first connection end fixing part 326.

Though not illustrated, after the first heating part 400 is installedand the connection ends and the cables are connected, upper portionsopen of the first connection end fixing part 326 and the secondconnection end fixing part 327 (see FIG. 31 ) may be covered with capsso that the connection ends are protected. For a coupling between thecaps, and the first connection end fixing part 326 and the secondconnection end fixing part 327, a coupling projection i may protrudefrom an upper portion of the cover a.

The reflector 440 may further include a fitted-coupling projection 447.The fitted-coupling projection 447 may protrude from the secondreflector 445 in the front-rear direction. The fitted-couplingprojection 447 may have a fitting hole. The fitted-coupling projection447 may be fitted-coupled to the coupling projection i such that thecoupling projection i is inserted into the fitting hole.

As result of the coupling between the fitted-coupling projection 447 andthe coupling projection i, the cover a and the reflector 440 may becoupled. Accordingly, the reflector 440 may be fixed more stably.

The door frame 320 may be provided with a first hinge passing hole 320b, as illustrated in FIG. 42 . The first hinge passing hole 320 b may beformed in a way that passes through the coupling part 321 in the up-downdirection. The first hinge passing hole 320 b may form a passage forallowing a hinge part 810 to pass through the door frame 320, on thedoor frame 320.

Additionally, the door frame 320 may be provided with a first hingecoupling part 320 c and a second hinge coupling part 320 d, asillustrated in FIGS. 42 and 47 to 49 . The first hinge coupling part 320c and the second hinge coupling part 320 d may be provided as astructure for coupling between the hinge part 810 of a hinge assembly800 and the door frame 320.

The first hinge coupling part 320 c and the second hinge coupling part320 d may be respectively coupled to the hinge part 810 in differentdirections. For example, any one of the first hinge coupling part 320 cand the second hinge coupling part 320 d may be coupled to the hingepart 810 in the lateral direction, and the other of the first hingecoupling part 320 c and the second hinge coupling part 320 d may becoupled to the hinge part 810 in the up-down direction.

In this embodiment, the first hinge coupling part 320 c is coupled tothe hinge part 810 in the lateral direction, and the second hingecoupling part 320 d is coupled to the hinge part 810 in the up-downdirection, for example.

Accordingly, the first hinge coupling part 320 c may be disposed in alateral portion of the first hinge passing hole 320 b. The first hingecoupling part 320 c may protrude from the door frame 320 at a positionvery close to the first hinge passing hole 320 b. The first hingecoupling part 320 b may form a coupling surface facing the hinge part810 in the lateral direction.

The second hinge coupling part 320 d may be disposed at a front of thefirst hinge passing hole 320 b. The second hinge coupling part 320 d mayform a coupling surface, facing the hinge part 810 in the up-downdirection, in the upper portion of the first hinge passing hole 320 b.In an example, for the second hinge coupling part 320 d, a surface,spaced a predetermined distance apart from the first hinge passing hole320 b and disposed in the upper portion of the first hinge passing hole320 b, may be a coupling surface coupled to the hinge part 810, and thecoupling surface may be supported by lateral walls protruding from thedoor frame 320.

The hinge part 810 and the door frame 320 are coupled as follows. Inthis embodiment, another coupling between the hinge part 810 of thehinge assembly 800 and the door frame 320 is described. In this case,the hinge part 810 may include a first hinge link 811, a second hingelink 812, a third hinge link 813 and a fourth hinge link 814.

The hinge part 810 may include a plurality of hinge links. Among thehinge links, the first hinge link 811 may be directly coupled to thedoor frame 320. The first hinge link 811 may be coupled to the doorframe 320 and swivel along with the door 300.

The second hinge link 812 and the third hinge link 813 may connect tothe first hinge link 811. The second hinge link 812 and the third hingelink 813 may rotatably connect to the first hinge link 811 at differentpoints. The second hinge link 812 and the third hinge link 813 mayconnect to the fourth hinge link 814.

When the door 300 swivels, postures of the second hinge link 812 and thethird hinge link 813 connected to the first hinge link 811 may change.

The fourth hinge link 814 may be connected to a damper 815 (see FIG. 52) provided to the hinge assembly 800. The damper 815 may be installed inthe hinge case 830 and reduce the rotation speed of the fourth hingelink 814. Accordingly, the door 300 may open and close the cooking space105 (see FIG. 52 ) while smoothly swiveling at a proper speed.

The first hinge link 811 may pass through the first hinge passing hole320 b from the lower portion of the door frame 320 and coupled to thedoor frame 320 in the upper portion of the door frame 320. In thisembodiment, the first hinge link 811 is formed into a rectangular rodincluding both lateral surfaces and an upper surface, for example.

The lateral surface of the first hinge link 811 may be coupled to thefirst hinge coupling part 320 c. The upper surface of the first hingelink 811 may be coupled to the second hinge coupling part 320 d. Thelateral surface of the first hinge link 811 may be screw-coupled to thefirst hinge coupling part 320 c, and the upper surface of the firsthinge link 811 may be screw-coupled to the second hinge coupling part320 d.

In this embodiment, the lateral surface of the first hinge link 811 andthe first hinge coupling part 320 c may be coupled in the lateraldirection, and the upper surface of the first hinge link 811 and thesecond hinge coupling part 320 d may be coupled in the up-downdirection.

Since the hinge part 810 and the door frame 320 are coupled at aplurality of points in different directions as described above, thehinge part 810 and the door frame 320 may be coupled more stably usingan increased coupling force.

The door frame 320 may be provided with a plurality of fastening holes320 a, and some of the fastening holes 320 a may be disposed near thefirst hinge passing hole 320 b. As a result, the door frame 320 and thedoor upper surface part 310 may be coupled at a position very close tothe first hinge passing hole 320 b, thereby suppressing a separationbetween the door frame 320 and the door upper surface part 310effectively near the first hinge passing hole 320 b.

The door frame 320 with the above-described configuration in thisembodiment may provide the following advantageous effects.

First, since the door frame 320 is coupled to the lower portion of thedoor upper surface part 310, the door frame 320 may cover the lowerportion of the door upper surface part 310 so that the cable mountingparts 340 and 345 (see FIG. 7 ) inside the door upper surface part 310and the cables in the cable mounting parts 340 and 345 are not exposedto the outside.

The door frame 320 may be coupled to the lower portion of the door uppersurface part 310 in a way that the door frame 320 is fastened to thecable mounting parts 340 and 345 and the like using a fastening memberin a state in which the portions, where the cable mounting parts 340 and345 are disposed, are covered by the coupling part 321. The door frame320 coupled to the lower portion of the door upper surface part 310 maycover the cable mounting parts 340 and 345 (see FIG. 7 ) disposed insidethe door upper surface part 310 and the cables installed in the cablemounting parts 340 and 345 so that the cable mounting parts 340 and 345and the cables are not exposed to the outside, and the door frame 320may be easily separated from the door 300 when necessary. Since the doorframe 320 may protect the components inside the door upper surface part310 while being easily detachable when necessary, the door frame 320 mayhelp to maintain and repair the cooking appliance easily and rapidly.

Second, the door frame 320 provides a frame in which the first heatingpart 400, the components related thereto, and the glass 335 areassembled to a single unit body. In this way, the door frame 320 mayhelp to manufacture and manage the components more efficiently.

In addition to the structures for fixing the glass 335 to the door frame320, the structures for fixing the first heating part 400, the reflector440, and the protective grill 450 to the door frame 320 are alsoprovided in the door frame 320.

Accordingly, the glass 335, the first heating part 400, the reflector440, and the protective grill 450 may be provided as anintegrally-assembled unit body coupled to the door frame 320, and theglass 335, the first heating part 400, the reflector 440, and theprotective grill 450 may be assembled at a time simply by coupling thedoor frame 320 to the lower portion of the door upper surface part 310.

Third, since the door frame 320 provides structures that allow the firstheating part 400 to be easily and rapidly installed in the door frame320, the door frame 320 may help to install the first heating part 400more efficiently.

In this embodiment, the end of one side of the first heating part 400 isfitted to any one of the first connection end fixing part 326 and thesecond connection end fixing part 327, and the first heating part 400 ismoved in the length-wise direction thereof so that the ends of bothsides of the first heating part 400 are respectively fitted to the firstconnection end fixing part 326 and the second connection end fixing part327 and then fixed by the connection end supporting member 329. Duringthe simple procedures, the first heating part 400 may be installed.

In this case, since the first connection end fixing part 326 and thesecond connection end fixing part 327 are not intended to havedirectionality, the first heating part 400 may be installed as long asthe end of one side of the first heating part 400 is fitted to any oneof the first connection end fixing part 326 and the second connectionend fixing part 327.

The door frame 320, as described above, may help to install the firstheating part 400 more efficiently, to manufacture a cooking applianceand further to repair and replace the first heating part 400 easily andrapidly.

Fourth, the first heating part 400 may be elastically supported by theconnection end supporting member 329 and stably disposed on the heatermounting part 325, thereby installing the first heating part 400 easilyand rapidly and suppressing damage to the first heating part 400effectively.

[Cooling Structure in Door]

FIG. 50 is a perspective view showing an inner structure of a door frontsurface part, and FIG. 51 is a view showing flows of steam and airinside the door front surface part in FIG. 50 .

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8 and 50 , a space part may be formedrespectively in the door upper surface part 310 and the door frontsurface part 350. In particular, a space part may be formed between apair of glasses 330, 335 being spaced a predetermined distance apartfrom each other in the up-down direction, in the see-through window Winstalled in the door upper surface part 310.

A space between the space part in the door upper surface part 310including the see-through window W and the space part in the door frontsurface part 350, in other words, the space part surrounded by the firstdoor main body part 310 a and the door frame 320, and the space partsurrounded by the second door main body part 350 a and the door rearsurface cover 350 b may be shielded by the sealing member S and thelike.

A cooling hole 301 may be provided at the lower end of the door frontsurface part 350. The cooling hole 301 may be formed in a way thatpenetrates at the lower end of the door front surface part 350,specifically, on the bottom surface of the second door main body part350 a. The cooling hole 301 forms a passage on the door front surfacepart 350, and the passage opens the space part in the door front surfacepart 350 to the outside.

In the embodiment, a plurality of cooling holes 301 is formed on thebottom surface of the second door main body part 350 a, and arranged inthe left-right direction at the lower end of the door front surface part350, for example.

An air exhaust opening 303 may be provided at the rear end of the doorupper surface part 310. The air exhaust opening 303 is formed in a waythat penetrates at the rear end of the door upper surface part 310, andforms a passage that opens the space part in the door upper surface part310 to the outside, on the door upper surface part 310.

Additionally, the cooking appliance in the embodiment may furtherinclude a first cooling fan 360 being disposed in the door 300. Thefirst cooling fan 360 may be installed in the door upper surface part310 or the door front surface part 350.

The first cooling fan 360 may be installed in the space part inside thedoor front surface part 350. The first cooling fan 360 may be coupled tothe supporting panel 550 and supported by the supporting panel 550. Inthe embodiment, the first cooling fan 360 is disposed in a differentarea from the area in which the first control board 500 is disposed,i.e., in the second area 550 b, for example.

Since the see-through window W, the first heating part 400 and the likeare disposed in the door upper surface part 310, there is not enoughspace in the door upper surface part 310. Compared to the door uppersurface part 310, the door front surface part 350 has enough space sincecomponents having volume are not disposed on the door front surface part350 except for the first control board 500. Considering the fact, thefirst cooling fan 360 may be installed in the door front surface part350 in terms of design.

Additionally, the first control board 500 is disposed in the first area550 a, and components in relation to the manipulation device 1000 aredisposed on the first control board 500. Accordingly, the first area 550a may not have enough space for installing the first cooling fan 360.

Components such as a temperature sensor 580 and a touch manipulationpart 1900 are disposed in the second area 550 b. The first cooling fan360 may be disposed in the second area 550 b along with the components.

The first cooling fan 360, provided as described above, may create aflow of air in which external air flows into the door 300 through thecooling hole 301 and the air in the door 300 is discharged through thecooling hole 301.

Based on the flow of air created by the first cooling fan 360, externalair may flow into the door front surface part 350 through the coolinghole 301. The external air having flown into the door front surface part350 may cool the first control board 500. The air having cooled thefirst control board 500 is discharged out of the door 300 through thecooling hole 303.

The sealing member S and the like shields between the space part in thedoor upper surface part 310 and the cooking space 105, but there is apossibility that heat or steam in the cooking space 105 flows into thespace part in the door upper surface part 310 through between the spacepart in the door upper surface part 310 and the cooking space 105.

Additionally, the sealing member S and the like shields between thespace part in the door upper surface part 310 and the space part in thedoor front surface part 350, but there is a possibility that heat orsteam in the door upper surface part 310 flows into the space part inthe door front surface part 350 through between the space part in thedoor upper surface part 310 and the space part in the door front surfacepart 350.

That is, heat or steam being generated in the cooking space 105 duringcooking is highly likely to flow into the space part in the door frontsurface part 350 through the inside of the door upper surface part 310.

As the heat or the steam, in particular, the steam, flows into the spacepart in the door front surface part 350, the steam causes an increase inthe temperature of the components, i.e., the first control board 500,the manipulation device 1000, the touch manipulation part 1900 and thelike, in the door front surface part 350 and exposes them to moisture.

That is, the steam having flown into the space part in the door frontsurface part 350 may cause deterioration in the performance of thecomponents in the door front surface part 350 or increase thepossibility of failure of the components.

In the embodiment, the steam having flown into the space part in thedoor front surface part 350 may be discharged out of the door 300 by thefirst cooling fan 360, as illustrated in FIG. 51 .

The first cooling fan 360 may create a flow of air in which external airflows into the door front surface part 350 through the cooling hole 301,in the door front surface part 350, and a flow of air in which the airhaving cooled the first control board 500 and the steam having flowninto the door front surface part 350 from the door upper surface part310 are discharged through the cooling hole 303.

In the embodiment, the first cooling fan 360 is provided in the form ofa centrifugal fan, for example. The first cooling fan 360 may suctionair in the axial direction and discharge the suctioned air downward.

In this case, one side of the first cooling fan 360 in the lateraldirection and the door front surface part 350, specifically, an airintake opening formed at the front side of the first cooling fan 360 andthe rear surface of the first door main body part 350 a, are spaced apredetermined distance apart from each other. Accordingly, air may besuctioned smoothly through the air intake opening of the first coolingfan 360.

The first cooling fan 360 may be disposed near the cooling hole 303,while being disposed in the second area 550 b. For example, the firstcooling fan 360 may be disposed under the touch manipulation part 1900and the temperature sensor 580.

Preferably, the first cooling fan 360 may be biased toward the coolinghole 301 than to the door upper surface part 310 while being disposedbetween the door upper surface part 310 and the cooling hole 301.

The first cooling fan 360 disposed as described above may discharge airin a position near the cooling hole 301. If the first cooling fan 360 iscloser to the door upper surface part 310 than to the cooling hole 301,e.g., between the touch manipulation part 1900 and the door uppersurface part 310, it may cause the following problems.

First, since the discharge of air in the first cooling fan 360 isperformed in a position far from the cooling hole 301, thehigh-temperature air and steam discharged from the first cooling fan 360is highly likely to be suctioned again to the first cooling fan 360.

As the discharge of air in the first cooling fan 360 is performedfurther away from the cooling hole 301, a distance moved by the airdischarged from the first cooling fan 360 in the door front surface part350 increases.

As the distance moved by the air discharged from the first cooling fan360 increases in the door front surface part 350, the air is highlylikely to flow into the first cooling fan 360 again.

The air flowing in the door front surface part 350 is more likely toflow into the first cooling fan 360 again than the air having passedthrough the cooling hole 301 and discharged out of the door 300.

Additionally, an increase in the amount of the air re-suctioned into thefirst cooling fan 360 may lead to a reduction in the efficiency ofcooling and the efficiency of removal of steam in the door 300.

Second, if the first cooling fan 360's suction of air is performed in aposition so close to the door upper surface part 310, the flow of steamfrom the inside of the door upper surface part 310 to the inside of thedoor font surface part 350 may be facilitated.

As a distance between the door upper surface part 310 and the firstcooling fan 360 becomes short, the magnitude of suction force of thefirst cooling fan 360, being applied to a gap between the door uppersurface part 310 and the door front surface part 350, increases.

An increase in the magnitude of suction force of the first cooling fan360, being applied to the gap between the door upper surface part 310and the door front surface part 350, may result in facilitation of theflow of steam from the inside of the door upper surface part 310 to theinside of the door front surface part 350.

Considering the fact, in the embodiment, the first cooling fan 360 isdisposed in a position closer to the cooling hole 301 than to the doorupper surface part 310, preferably, under the touch panel supportingpart 565 and the temperature sensor 580.

The first cooling fan 360 discharges air toward the cooling hole 301,e.g., in the downward direction, to allow the discharged air toeffectively escape from the door front surface part 350 and bedischarged out of the door 300 as fast as possible.

Since the first cooling fan 360 is provided as described above, there-suction of high-temperature air and steam discharged from the firstcooling fan 360, and the flow of steam from the inside of the door uppersurface part 310 to the inside of the door front surface part 350 may besuppressed.

Thus, the efficiency of cooling and the efficiency of removal of steamin the door 300 may improve, and the possibility of deterioration of theperformance of the components in the door 300 and failure in thecomponents may decrease.

[Cooling Channel Structure in Hinge Assembly]

FIG. 52 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a cross sectionalong line “XXXXX-XXXXX” in FIG. 1 , FIG. 53 is a lateralcross-sectional view showing a structure of a cooling channel in FIG. 52, and FIG. 54 is a front cross-sectional view showing the structure ofthe cooling channel in FIG. 52 . FIG. 55 is a cross-sectionalperspective view showing the structure of the cooling channel in FIG. 52, FIG. 56 is a cross-sectional view showing a flow of the discharge ofair into a cooking space through the cooling channel in FIG. 55 , andFIG. 57 is a view showing a flow of air in the cooling channel in FIG.52 .

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 52 , the hinge assembly 800 may be disposedrespectively on both sides of the housing 100 in the left-rightdirection thereof such that the hinge assembly 800 is disposedrespectively at both outer sides of the tray 200 in the left-rightdirection thereof. Each of the hinge assemblies 800 may include a hingecase 830, a hinge part 810 and a cooling channel 850, as illustrated inFIGS. 52 to 55 .

The hinge case 830 forms the exterior of the hinge assembly 800. Thehinge case 830 may have an accommodation space therein to accommodate aportion of the hinge part 810. The cooling channel 850 may be formed inthe accommodation space inside the hinge case 830. In the embodiment,the cooling channel 850 may be provided to guide the flow of air flowinginto the hinge case 830 from the outside of the hinge case 830.

Additionally, the hinge case 830 may be provided with a channel inlet831 and a channel outlet 833.

The channel inlet 831 may be open to the outside of the hinge case 830from the cooling channel 850. The channel inlet 831 may be provided atthe lower end of the hinge case 830. In the embodiment, the channelinlet 831 is formed in a way that penetrates in the up-down direction atthe lower end of the hinge case 830, for example.

The channel outlet 833 may be open to the inside of the cooking space105 from the cooling channel 850. The channel outlet 833 may be disposedin the upper portion of the channel inlet 831 and disposed in thelateral portion of the hinge case 830. That is, the channel inlet 831may be disposed in the lower portion of the cooling channel 850, and thechannel outlet 833 may be disposed at the upper side of the coolingchannel 850.

In the embodiment, the channel outlet 833 is formed in a way thatpenetrates in the left-right direction in the lateral portion of thehinge case 830, for example. Specifically, the channel outlet 833 maypasses through the lateral surface of the hinge case 830, facing thelateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100, in the lateral direction.In other words, the channel outlet 833 may be formed in a way thatpenetrates in the left-right direction on one lateral surface of thehinge case 830 facing the cooking space 105.

That is, the channel inlet 831 is formed at the lower end of the coolingchannel 850 in a way that penetrates in the up-down direction, and thechannel outlet 833 may be formed on one lateral surface of the coolingchannel 850 in a way that penetrates in the left-right direction.

The cooling channel 850 may be defined by a structure being formed inthe hinge case 830. The cooling channel 850 may be formed in a way thatthe cooling channel 850 includes a first section 851 and a secondsection 853.

The first section 851 of the two sections of the cooling channel 850corresponds to a section that extends upward from the channel inlet 831.The first section 851 may be disposed in a position adjacent to thefront surface of the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350.

The second section 853 of the two sections of the cooling channel 850corresponds to a section that extends rearward from the upper side ofthe first section 851. The second section 853 may be disposed in aposition adjacent to the upper surface of the housing 100 and the doorupper surface part 310.

The channel inlet 831 is disposed in the lower portion of the coolingchannel 850, specifically, in the lower portion of the first section851. The channel inlet 831 may have a greater width than the coolingchannel 850. That is, the channel inlet 831 has a greater width than thecooling channel 850 in a parallel direction with the bottom surface 110of the housing 100.

The hinge case 830 at which the channel inlet 831 is formed has a fanmounting part 835, in the lower portion thereof. The fan mounting part835 may protrude from the lower portion of the hinge case 830 in theparallel direction with the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100, whilesurrounding the channel inlet 831. For example, the fan mounting part835 may protrude from the lower portion of the housing 100 at which thechannel inlet 831 is disposed, in the lateral direction. A third coolingfan 860 may be disposed in the fan mounting part 835.

In the embodiment, the fan mounting part 835 protrudes from the lowerportion of the hinge case 830 to the bottom surface 110 of the housing100, for example. Additionally, a space being formed under the bottomsurface 110 of the housing 100 may be open to the hinge case 830 in thelateral direction. At least a portion of the fan mounting part 835 maybe inserted into the space (hereafter, “lower space”) being formed underthe bottom surface 110 of the housing 100.

A second heating part 600 (see FIG. 34 ) is disposed in the lower space.The second heating part 600 being accommodated in the lower space,specifically, a working coil 610 (see FIG. 34 ), does not fill the lowerspace completely. For example, the working coil 610 may have a lesslength than the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100, in the left-rightdirection.

The left-to-right length of the tray 200 being disposed in the cookingspace 105 is less than the left-to-right length of the bottom surface110 of the housing 100, and the left-to-right length of the working coil610 does not have to be greater than the left-to-right length of thetray 200. Additionally, the working coil 610 is ordinarily disposed atthe center of the housing 100 in the left-right direction.

Accordingly, a space big enough for the fan mounting part 835 to beinserted may be formed in the lateral portion of the lower space. Thelower space is open in the lateral direction such that at least aportion of the fan mounting part 835 can be inserted into the lowerspace. In the embodiment, most of the fan mounting part 835 is insertedinto the lower space, for example.

Since the fan mounting part 835 is inserted in this way, the hinge case830 and the housing 100 can be fitted and coupled to each other, usingthe fan mount part 835 as a medium. Accordingly, the hinge assembly 800may be fixed to the housing 100 more reliably.

Additionally, since the fan mounting part 835 is inserted as describedabove, an increase in the left-to-right length of an area of the cookingappliance occupied by the hinge assembly 800 or an increase in the sizeof the cooking appliance, caused due to the fan mounting part 835 as aprotruding structure, may be prevented.

The third cooling fan 860 may be disposed under the hinge case 830,specifically, in the fan mounting part 835. The third cooling fan 860may create the flow of air in which external air flows into the coolingchannel 850 through the channel inlet 831.

Because of the flow of air created by the third cooling fan 860,external air may flow into the cooling channel 850 through the channelinlet 831. The external air having flown into the cooling channel 850may cool the hinge case 830 while passing through the first section 851and the second section 853 of the cooling channel 850.

In the embodiment, the hinge part 810 may be connected to the rear sideof the door upper surface part 310. The hinge part 810 is biased towardthe rear side in the hinge case 830.

The cooling channel 850 may include the first section 851 and the secondsection 853. The first section 851 and the second section 853 may beconnected to each other in a portion adjacent to the edge at the upperside of the front of the hinge case 830.

Accordingly, the external air, having flown into the cooling channel 850through the channel inlet 831, may cool surroundings of the frontsurface of the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350 whilepassing through the first section 851. Additionally, the air, havingpassed through the first section 851 and having flown into the secondsection 853, may cool surrounding s of the upper surface of the housing100 and the door upper surface part 310 while passing through the secondsection 853.

Further, the cooling channel 850 may be provided with a channel guide855. The channel guide 855 may protrude on the cooling channel 850, andbe disposed in a portion where the first section 851 and the secondsection 853 are connected. That is, the channel guide 855 may beprovided in a portion inside the cooling channel 850, where the flow ofair changes.

The channel guide 855 may guide the flow of air such that the air havingpassed through the first section 851 flows into the second section 853smoothly. In an example, the channel guide 855 may include a projectionthat extends in the up-down direction, and a projection that extends inthe front-rear direction, and be formed in a way that a curvedsurface-shaped projection connects between the two projections.

The upper surface and front surface of the housing 100, and the doorupper surface part 310 and the door front surface part 350 are portionsthat are most likely to be contacted by a user. Additionally, theportions can be easily affected by heat in the cooking space 105.

In the embodiment, considering the fact, a cooling structure isprovided, and in the cooling structure, the cooling channel 850 isdisposed around the portions and external air flows into the coolingchannel 850 with the third cooling fan 860.

By doing so, portions, the temperature of which increases easily due toheat and which are highly likely to be contacted by the user, can cool,thereby preventing safety problems, and damage to the components in thedoor 300 caused by the overheating of the door 300.

Additionally, the channel outlet 833 may be disposed in the upperportion of the first section 851, i.e., in the portion where the firstsection 851 and the second section 853 are connected. The channel outlet833 may be formed on the lateral surface f the hinge case 830, facingthe lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100, in a way thatpenetrates in the lateral direction, and form a passage that allows thecooling channel 850 to be open to the outside of the hinge case 830.

Further, a cool air discharge part 125 may be disposed on the lateralsurface 120, 130 of the housing 100. The cool air discharge part 125 maycommunicate with the channel outlet 833. The cool air discharge part 125may include a plurality of discharge openings.

Each of the plurality of discharge openings may be formed on the lateralsurface 120, 130 of the housing 100 in a way that penetrates in thelateral direction. The cool air discharge part 125 may be formed in away that the plurality of discharge openings is collected around thechannel outlet 833.

At least a portion of the air flowing into the cooling channel 850 bythe third cooling fan 860 may be discharged into the cooking space 105through the channel outlet 833 and the cool air discharge part 125, asillustrated in FIGS. 54 to 56 .

To this end, the channel outlet 833 and the cool air discharge part 125may be disposed in the lateral direction. Preferably, the cool airdischarge part 125 may be disposed in a position where the cool airdischarge part 125 overlaps the channel outlet 833 in the lateraldirection. Accordingly, at least a portion of the air flowing into thecooling channel 850 by the third cooling fan 860 may be discharged inthe lateral direction through the cool air discharge part 125.

Further, at least any one of the hinge assembly 800 and the housing 100may further include a discharge projection 835. In the embodiment, thehinge assembly 800 is provided with the discharge projection 835, forexample.

In an example, the discharge projection 835 may protrude from the hingecase 830 in the lateral direction. The discharge projection 835 mayprotrude from the hinge case 830 to the lateral surface 120, 130 of thehousing 100 while surrounding the channel outlet 833.

The discharge projection 835 may connect between the channel outlet 833and the cool air discharge part 125. That is, a passage that connectsbetween the channel outlet 833 and the cool air discharge part 125 maybe formed in the discharge projection 835, and the passage may be formedin a space surrounded by the hinge case 830, the discharge projection835 and the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100.

The air being discharged out of the cooling channel 850 through thechannel outlet 833 may be move to the cooling discharge part 125efficiently, by the passage that is formed by the discharge projection835 as described above. Accordingly, at least a portion of the air thatflows into the cooling channel 850 by the third cooling fan 860 may beeffectively discharged into the cooking space 105 through the cool airdischarge part 125.

The cooking appliance in the embodiment may include an exhaust inducingpart. The exhaust inducing part may be disposed on at least any one ofboth lateral surfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100 to create the flow ofair at the front of the cooking space 105.

The exhaust inducing part may create the flow of air in which air movesfrom any one of both the lateral surfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100 tothe other lateral surface of the housing 100 or flows from the front ofthe cooking space 105 to the rear surface 140 of the housing 100.

For example, the exhaust inducing part may allow at least a portion ofthe air flowing into the cooling channel 850 to be discharged into thecooking space 105 through the cool air discharge part 125, asillustrated in FIG. 56 , creating the flow of air in which the air movesfrom any one of both the lateral surfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100 tothe other lateral surface of the housing 100.

Additionally, the exhaust inducing part may allow at least a portion ofthe air flowing into the cooling channel 850 to flow rearward throughthe second section 853 and to be discharged into the cooking space 105,as illustrated in FIG. 57 , to create the flow of air in which the airflows from the front of the cooking space 105 to the rear surface 140 ofthe housing 100.

Further, the flow of air in which the air flows from the front of thecooking space 105 to the rear surface 140 of the housing 100 may beinduced by the flow of air in which the air is discharged into thecooking space 105 through the cool air discharge part 125 being disposedat the front of the housing 100.

In the embodiment, the exhaust inducing part is disposed on both thelateral surfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100 respectively, for example.

In the embodiment, the exhaust inducing part may include a coolingchannel 850, a channel inlet 831 and a channel outlet 833. The exhaustinducing part may further include a third cooling fan 860. The exhaustinducing part may further include a discharge projection 835.

The operation and effect of the exhaust inducing part are describedbelow.

[Sealing Structure of Housing and Door]

FIG. 58 is a front cross-sectional view showing an inner structure ofthe cooking appliance in one embodiment, and FIG. 59 is an enlarged viewshowing portion “XXXXXIX” in FIG. 58 . FIG. 60 is a planarcross-sectional view showing the inner structure of the cookingappliance in one embodiment, and FIG. 61 is an enlarged view showingportion “XXXXXXI” in FIG. 60 . FIG. 62 is a lateral cross-sectional viewshowing the inner structure of the cooking appliance in one embodiment,and FIG. 63 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXIII” in FIG. 62 .

Referring to FIGS. 58 to 63 , the cooking appliance in the embodimentmay include a gasket. The gasket may be disposed at at least any one ofthe front side and upper side of the exhaust inducing part.Specifically, the gasket may be disposed at at least one of the frontside and the upper side of the cooling channel 850, and include at leastone of a first gasket 370, a second gasket 380 and a third gasket 390.

In the embodiment, the cooking appliance includes all the first gasket370, the second gasket 380 and the third gasket 390, for example, butnot be limited.

In another example, the cooking appliance may include only two of thefirst gasket 370, the second gasket 380 and the third gasket 390 or anyone of the first gasket 370, the second gasket 380 and the third gasket390.

Referring to FIGS. 58 and 59 , the first gasket 370 may be disposedbetween the hinge case 830 or the lateral surface 120, 130 of thehousing 100 and the door front surface part 350. The first gasket 370may seal between the hinge case 830 and the door front surface part 350or between the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 and the doorfront surface part 350, in front of the cooling channel 850.

In the embodiment, the first gasket 370 is disposed on the rear surfaceof the door front surface part 350, specifically, at the door rearsurface cover 350 b, for example.

Referring to FIGS. 60 and 61 , the second gasket 380 may be disposedbetween the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 and the door frontsurface part 350. The second gasket 380 may seal between the bottomsurface 110 of the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350, infront of the cooling channel 850.

In the embodiment, the second gasket 380 may be disposed on the rearsurface of the door front surface part 350, specifically, at the doorrear surface cover 350 b, for example.

Referring to FIGS. 62 and 63 , the third gasket 390 may be disposedbetween the upper surface of the housing 100 and the door upper surfacepart 310. The third gasket 390 may seal between the hinge case 830 andthe door upper surface part 310 or between the lateral surface 120, 130of the housing 100 and the door upper surface part 310 on the coolingchannel 850.

Specifically, the third gasket 390 may seal between the upper surface ofthe hinge case 830 and the bottom surface of the door upper surface part310 or between the upper end of the lateral surface 120, 130 of thehousing 100 and the bottom surface of the door upper surface part 310.

In the embodiment, the third gasket 390 is disposed on the bottomsurface of the door upper surface part 310, specifically, the bottomsurface of the door frame 320, for example.

In the embodiment, the first gasket 370 and the second gasket 380 mayseal between the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350, asillustrated in FIGS. 58 to 61 .

In this case, the first gasket 370 may be disposed respectively at bothsides of the cooking space 105 in the left-right direction thereof, toseal between both the lateral surfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100 andthe door front surface part 350, in front of the cooking space 105. Thefirst gasket 370 may seal between both the lateral surfaces 120, 130 ofthe housing 100 and the door front surface part 350 respectively at boththe sides of the cooking space 105 in the left-right direction thereof.

Additionally, the second gasket 380 may be disposed in the lower portionof the cooking space 105 and seal between the bottom surface 110 of thehousing 100 and the door front surface part 350, in front of the cookingspace 105. The second gasket 380 may seal between the bottom surface 110of the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350, in the lowerportion of the cooking space 105.

Additionally, the third gasket 390 may seal between the housing 100 andthe door upper surface part 310, as illustrated in FIGS. 62 and 63 .

In this case, the third gasket 390 may be disposed at both the sides ofthe cooking space 105 in the left-right direction thereof respectivelyand seal between both the lateral surfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100and the door upper surface part 310, in the upper portion of the cookingspace 105. The third gasket 390 may seal between both the lateralsurfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100 and the door upper surface part 310respectively, at both the sides of the cooking space 105 in theleft-right direction thereof.

In summary, the first gasket 370 and the second gasket 380 may seal agap between the door front surface part 350 and the housing 100, and thethird gasket 390 may seal a gap between the door upper surface part 310and the housing 100, as illustrated in FIGS. 58 to 63 .

Since a gap between the door 300 and the housing 100 is sealed by thefirst gasket 370, the second gasket 380 and the third gasket 390 asdescribed above, heat or steam that is generated in the cooking space105 during cooking hardly leaks out of the cooking appliance through thegap between the door 300 and the housing 100.

That is, the gaskets 370, 380, 390 being disposed between the door 300and the housing 100 may help to effectively block leakage of heat orsteam, which is generated in the cooking space 105 during cooking, outof the cooking appliance through the gap between the door 300 and thehousing 100.

The gaskets 370, 380, 390 may effectively suppress problems such asdamage to the user caused by the heat or the steam leaking through thegap between the door 300 and the housing 100, or the formation of adroplet on the door 300 caused by the steam leaking through the gapbetween the door 300 and the housing 100, or the collection of wateraround the door 300 caused by the droplet being formed on the door 300.

Additionally, as illustrated in FIGS. 57 and 63 , the third gasket 390may be disposed between the center of the housing 100 in the lateraldirection thereof and the second section 853 with respect to the lateraldirection, while being disposed in a position facing the upper end ofthe lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100. That is, the secondsection 853 is disposed farther from the center of the housing 100 inthe lateral direction thereof than the third gasket 390.

Air flowing along the second section 853 being disposed in theabove-described position rearward may serve as an air curtain thatblocks air having passed through the third gasket 390 and the housing100 from the outside in the lateral direction of the third gasket 390.

That is, the gap between the lateral surface 120, 130 of the hosing 100and the door upper surface part 310 is sealed by the air curtain beingformed by the air flowing along the second section 853 as well as thethird gasket 390.

[Structure of Gasket—First Gasket]

FIG. 64 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXIV” in FIG. 59 , FIG.65 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXV” in FIG. 61 , and FIG.66 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXVI” in FIG. 63 .

Hereafter, the structure of the gasket in the embodiment is describedwith reference to FIGS. 64 to 66 .

Referring to FIGS. 59 and 64 , the first gasket 370 may be disposedbetween the hinge case 830 or the lateral surface 120, 130 of thehousing 100 and the door front surface part 350. In the embodiment, thefirst gasket 370 is disposed at the hinge case 830 or on the rearsurface of the door front surface part 350 facing the front surface ofthe housing 100, for example. Specifically, the first gasket 370 may bedisposed at the door rear surface cover 350 b.

The first gasket 370 may be made of an elastically deformable material.For example, the first gasket 370 may be made of silicone rubber. Thefirst gasket 370 may include a first sealing body 371.

The first sealing body 371 may be coupled to the door 300 (see FIG. 62), specifically, the door front surface part 350. At least a portion ofthe first sealing body 371 may pass through the door 300 from the insideof the door 300 and protrude toward the housing 100.

In the embodiment, the first sealing body 371 is coupled to the rearsurface of the door front surface part 350 while passing through therear surface of the door front surface part 350 in the front-reardirection, for example. The first sealing body 371 may be fitted andcoupled to the door rear surface cover 350 b while passing through thedoor rear surface cover 350 b. The first sealing body 371 may bedisposed to face the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100.

The first sealing body 371 being disposed on the rear surface of thedoor front surface part 350 as described above may protrude toward thelateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100. In this case, one lateralsurface of the first sealing body 371, i.e., the rear surface of thefirst sealing body 371 facing the lateral surface 120, 130 of thehousing 100 may protrude toward the housing 100 in a rounded manner.

In other words, the end portion of the rear side of the first sealingbody 371 may be rounded. Since the end portion of the rear side of thefirst sealing body 371 is rounded, the first sealing body 371 maycontact the front surface of the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing100 closely and effectively in the state in which the cooking space 105is closed by the door 300. Thus, the first sealing body 371 may seal thegap between the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 and the door300 more effectively.

Additionally, since the end portion of the rear side of the firstsealing body 371 is rounded as described above, the first gasket 370 maysurface-contact the housing 100. When the first gasket 370surface-contacts the housing 100, the contact surface between the firstgasket 370 and the housing 100 may be greater than when the edge portionand the like of the first gasket 370 contacts the housing 100.

As the contact surface between the first gasket 370 and the housing 100increases as described above, impact quantity per unit surface areabeing applied to the first gasket 370 during the opening and closingprocesses of the door 300 may decrease, thereby reducing the possibilityof damage to the first gasket 370, caused by repeated contact betweenthe first gasket 370 and the housing 100.

Further, since an increase in the contact surface between the firstgasket 370 and the housing 100 leads to a decrease in the impactquantity per unit surface area being applied to the first gasket 370during the opening and closing processes of the door 300, magnitude ofnoise generated during the opening and closing processes of the door 300may decrease.

The first sealing body 371 may have a first gasket hollow hole part 372therein. The first gasket hollow hole part 372 may be formed in a waythat penetrates in the first sealing body 371.

Since the first gasket hollow hole part 372 is formed in the firstsealing body 371, a range of elastic deformation of the first sealingbody 371 may expand further. Accordingly, the first sealing body 371 mayclosely contact the housing, specifically, the front surface of thelateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 more definitely and seal thegap between the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 and the doorfront surface part 350 effectively.

The first gasket 370 may further include a first sealing cover 373. Thefirst sealing cover 373 may protrude from the first sealing body 371 andform a flat surface parallel with the door rear surface cover 350 b. Thefirst sealing cover 373 may closely contact the door rear surface cover350 b from the outside of the door 300.

A first gasket fitting hole 352 b may be included in the door rearsurface cover 350 b. The first gasket fitting hole 352 b may be formedin a way that penetrates in the front-rear direction at the door rearsurface cover 350 b. The first sealing body 371 may be inserted into thefirst gasket fitting hole 352 b and fitted and coupled to the door rearsurface cover 350 b.

The first sealing body 371 may be formed into a cylinder, and the firstgasket fitting hole 352 b may be formed into a hole corresponding to thecylinder. Additionally, the first sealing cover 373 may be formed into aprojection that protrudes from the first sealing body 371 in thecentrifugal direction.

The first sealing cover 373 covers a gap between the first sealing body371 being inserted into the first gasket fitting hole 352 b and the doorrear surface cover 350 b from behind the door rear surface cover 350 b,to seal the gap between the first sealing body and the door rear surfacecover 350 b.

The first sealing cover 373, provided as described above, may block theflow of heat or steam, leaking from the inside of the cooing space 105through the gap between the door front surface part 350 and the lateralsurface 120, 130 of the housing 100, into the door 300 through the firstgasket fitting hole 352 b.

Further, the first sealing cover 373 may be disposed in a positionadjacent to the rear surface of the first sealing body 371. As the door300 closes the cooking space, the first sealing body 371 is deformed andbecomes flat between the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 andthe door front surface part 350 to seal between the lateral surface 120,130 of the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350. In thiscase, the first sealing cover 373 may closely contact the door rearsurface cover 350 b and the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100respectively and seal the gap between the door rear surface cover 350 band the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100.

A first support body 375 may support the first sealing body 371, in thedoor front surface part 350. The first support body 375 may be disposedbetween the door rear surface cover 350 b and the supporting panel 550while being biased toward the lateral portion of the door front surfacepart 350.

In the embodiment, the supporting panel 550 may be disposed between thefront surface of the first door main body part 350 a and the door rearsurface cover 350 b. The first support body 375 may be disposed at thesupporting panel 550, specifically, between the coupling area 550 cbeing disposed on both sides of the supporting panel 550 and the doorrear surface cover 350 b.

The first support body 375 being disposed as described above may befitted between the coupling area 550 c of the supporting panel 550 andthe door rear surface cover 350 b. Based on the fit coupling, the firstsupport body 375 and the door front surface part 350 may be coupled.

Based on the fit coupling among the supporting panel 550, the door rearsurface cover 350 b and the first support body 375, the first supportbody 375 may be coupled to the door front surface part 350 stably.

As the first support body 375 is coupled to the door front surface part350 stably, the coupling between the first gasket 370 and the door frontsurface part 350 may be maintained reliably such that the first gasket370 is prevented from shaking or being detached from the door frontsurface part 350.

Additionally, the first gasket 370 may further include a first sealingprojection 374. Like the first sealing cover, the first sealingprojection 374 may protrude from the first sealing body 371 and form aflat surface parallel with the door rear surface cover 350 b. The firstsealing cover 373 may closely contact the door rear surface cover 350 b,in the door 300.

For example, the first sealing projection 374 may be disposed in frontof the first sealing cover 373 with the door rear surface cover 350 bbetween the first sealing projections. The first sealing projection 374may cover the gap between the first sealing body 371 being inserted intothe first gasket fitting hole 352 b and the door rear surface cover 350b, in front of the door rear surface cover 350 b, to seal the gapbetween the first sealing body and the door rear surface cover 350 b.

That is, the first sealing cover 373 and the first sealing projection374 are disposed on both sides of the door rear surface cover 350 b inthe front-rear direction thereof, to seal the gap between the firstsealing body and the door rear surface cover 350 b, at both the sides ofthe door rear surface cover 350 b in the front-rear direction thereof.

Thus, heat or steam leaking from the inside of the cooking space 105through the gap between the door front surface part 350 and the lateralsurface 120, 130 of the housing 100 may be prevented from flowing intothe door 300 through the first gasket fitting hole 352 b moreeffectively.

The first sealing cover 373 provided as described above may block heator steam leaking from the inside of the cooking space 105 through thegap between the door front surface part 350 and the lateral surface 120,130 of the housing 100 from flowing into the door 300 through the firstgasket fitting hole 352 b.

[Structure of Gasket— Second Gasket]

Referring to FIGS. 60 and 65 , the second gasket 380 may be disposedbetween the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 and the door frontsurface part 350. In the embodiment, the second gasket 380 is disposedon the rear surface of the door front surface part 350, for example.Specifically, the second gasket 380 may be disposed at the door rearsurface cover 350 b.

The second gasket 380 may be made of an elastically deformable material.For example, the second gasket 380 may be made of silicone rubber likethe first gasket 370 (see FIG. 64 ). The second gasket 380 may include asecond sealing body 381.

The second sealing body 381 may be coupled to the door 300,specifically, the door front surface part 350. At least a portion of thesecond sealing body 381 may pass through the door 300 from the inside ofthe door 300 and protrude toward the housing 100.

In the embodiment, the second sealing body 381 is coupled to the rearsurface of the door front surface part 350 while passing through therear surface of the door front surface part 350 in the front-reardirection, for example. Specifically, the second sealing body 381 may befitted and coupled to the door rear surface cover 350 b while passingthrough the door rear surface cover 350 b. The second sealing body 381may be disposed to face the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100.

The second sealing body 381 being disposed on the rear surface of thedoor front surface part 350 as described above may protrude toward thebottom surface 110 of the housing 100. In this case, the end portion ofthe rear side of the second sealing body 381 may be rounded like thefirst sealing body 371 (see FIG. 64 ).

Since the end portion of the rear side of the second sealing body 381 isrounded, the second sealing body 381 may contact the end portion of thefront of the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 closely andeffectively in the state in which the cooking space 105 is closed by thedoor 300. Thus, the second sealing body 381 may seal the gap between thebottom surface 110 of the housing 100 and the door 300 more effectively.

Additionally, since the end portion of the rear side of the secondsealing body 381 is rounded as described above, damage to the secondgasket 380 caused by repetitive contact between the second gasket 380and the housing 100, and magnitude of noise generated during the openingand closing processes of the door 300 may decrease.

The second sealing body 381 has a second gasket hollow hole part 382therein. The second gasket hollow hole part 382 may be formed in a waythat penetrates in the second sealing body 381.

Since the second gasket hollow hole part 382 is formed in the secondsealing body 381, the second sealing body 381 may the bottom surface 110of the housing 100 more definitely and seal the gap between the bottomsurface 110 of the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350effectively.

The second gasket 380 may further include a second sealing projection383. The second sealing projection 383 may protrude from the secondsealing body 381 and form a flat surface parallel with the door rearsurface cover 350 b.

A second gasket fitting hole 354 b may be included in the door rearsurface cover 350 b. The second gasket fitting hole 354 b may be formedin a way that penetrates in the front-rear direction at the door rearsurface cover 350 b like the first gasket fitting hole 352 b (see FIG.64 ). The second sealing body 381 may be inserted into the second gasketfitting hole 354 b and fitted and coupled to the door rear surface cover350 b.

The second sealing body 381 may be formed into a cylinder, and thesecond gasket fitting hole 354 b may be formed into a hole correspondingto the cylinder. Additionally, the second sealing projection 383 may beformed into a projection that protrudes from the second sealing body 381in the centrifugal direction.

The second sealing projection 383 may seal between the bottom surface110 of the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350 together withthe second sealing body 381 that is deformed and becomes flat betweenthe bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 and the door front surfacepart 350 as the door 300 closes the cooking space. In this case, thesecond sealing projection 383 may closely contact the bottom surface 110of the housing 100 and seal the gap between the door rear surface cover350 b and the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100.

A second support body 385 may support the second sealing body 381, inthe door front surface part 350. The second support body 385 may bedisposed between the door rear surface cover 350 b and the supportingpanel 550 while being disposed close to the lower portion of the doorfront surface part 350.

In the embodiment, the supporting panel 550 may be disposed between thefront surface of the first door main body part 350 a and the door rearsurface cover 350 b. The second support body 385 may be disposed betweenthe supporting panel 550 and the door rear surface cover 350 b.

The second support body 385 being disposed as described above may befitted between the supporting panel 550 and the door rear surface cover350 b. Based on the fit coupling, the second support body 385 and thedoor front surface part 350 may be coupled.

Based on the fit coupling among the supporting panel 550, the door rearsurface cover 350 b and the second support body 385, the second supportbody 385 may be coupled to the door front surface part 350 stably.

As the second support body 385 is coupled to the door front surface part350 stably, the coupling between the second gasket 380 and the doorfront surface part 350 may be maintained reliably such that the secondgasket 380 is prevented from shaking or being detached from the doorfront surface part 350.

Additionally, the second gasket 380 may further include a second sealingprojection 383. The second sealing projection 383 may protrude from thesecond sealing body 381 and form a flat surface parallel with the doorrear surface cover 350 b. The second sealing projection 383 may closelycontact the door rear surface cover 350 b, outside the door 300.

A second gasket fitting hole 354 b may be included in the door rearsurface cover 350 b. The second gasket fitting hole 354 b may be formedin a way that penetrates in the front-rear direction at the door rearsurface cover 350 b. The second sealing body 381 may be inserted intothe second gasket fitting hole 354 b and fitted and coupled to the doorrear surface cover 350 b.

The second sealing body 381 may be formed into a cylinder, and thesecond gasket fitting hole 354 b may be formed into a hole correspondingto the cylinder. Additionally, the second sealing projection 383 may beformed into a projection that protrudes from the second sealing body 381in the centrifugal direction.

The second gasket 380 may be provided with a plurality of second sealingprojections 383. The plurality of second sealing projections 383 may bespaced at predetermined intervals in the lengthwise direction of thesecond sealing body 381, i.e., in the front-rear direction.

At least any one of the second sealing projections 383 being disposed asdescribed above may closely contact the door rear surface cover 350 b,outside the door 300. The second sealing projection 383 may cover thegap between the second sealing body 381 being inserted into the secondgasket fitting hole 354 b and the door rear surface cover 350 b frombehind the door rear surface cover 350 b, to seal the gap between thesecond sealing body and the door rear surface cover 350 b.

Thus, heat or steam leaking through the gap between the door frontsurface part 350 and the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100from the inside of the cooking space 105 may be effectively preventedfrom flowing into the door 300 through the second gasket fitting hole354 b.

Additionally, the plurality of second sealing projections 383 beingincluded in the second gasket 380 may produce the following effects.

First, the sealing between the door rear surface cover 350 b and thesecond sealing body 381 is done at the rear of the door rear surfacecover 350 b as well as the front of the door rear surface cover 350 b,thereby preventing heat or steam from flowing into the door 300 moreeffectively through the second gasket fitting hole 354 b.

Second, a second gasket 380 of one standard may be effectively appliedto a door 300 of different standards. For example, even if the thicknessof a portion where the second gasket 380 is inserted, specifically, thethickness of the door rear surface cover 350 b, decreases or increases,the gap between the second sealing body 381 and the door rear surfacecover 350 b may be sufficiently covered with at least any one of theplurality of second sealing projections 383, thereby effectively sealingthe gap between the second sealing body 381 and the door rear surfacecover 350 b.

Further, the second support body 385 may include a first protrusionsupport part 386 and a second protrusion support part 387. The firstprotrusion support part 396 may protrude from the second sealing body381 in a parallel direction with the flat surface being formed by thedoor rear surface cover 350 b. The second protrusion support part 387may protrude in a different direction from the direction in which thefirst protrusion support part 386 protrudes, while protruding in aparallel direction with the first protrusion support part 386.

In the embodiment, the first protrusion support part 386 and the secondprotrusion support part 387 are disposed to connect to each other in astraight line, and the second sealing body 381 is disposed between thefirst protrusion support part 386 and the second protrusion support part387, for example.

In the state in which the second sealing body 381 is fitted into thesecond gasket fitting hole 354 b, the first protrusion support part 386and the second protrusion support part 387 may connect in a straightline with the second gasket fitting hole 354 b therebetween. The firstprotrusion support part 386 and the second protrusion support part 387may be fixed to the inside of the door front surface part 350 whilebeing fitted between the door rear surface cover 350 b and thesupporting panel 550 at both sides of the second gasket fitting hole 354b in the up-down direction thereof.

Based on the fit coupling among the supporting panel 550, the door rearsurface cover 350 b and the second support body 385 at both the sides ofthe second gasket fitting hole 354 b in the up-down direction thereof,the up-to-down position of the second support body 385 may be regulatedeffectively, and the coupling state between the second gasket 380 andthe door front surface part 350 may be maintained more stably.

[Structure of Gasket—Third Gasket]

Referring to FIGS. 61 and 66 , the third gasket 390 may be disposedbetween both the lateral surfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100 and thedoor upper surface part 310. In the embodiment, the third gasket 390 isdisposed under the door upper surface part 310, for example.Specifically, the third gasket 390 may be installed in the door frame120.

The third gasket 390 may be made of an elastically deformable material.For example, the third gasket 390 may be made of silicone rubber likethe first gasket 370 (see FIG. 64 ) and the second gasket 380 (see FIG.65 ). The third gasket 390 may include a third sealing body 391.

The third sealing body 391 may be coupled to the door frame 320,specifically, the coupling part 321. At least a portion of the thirdsealing body 391 may pass through the door frame 320 from the inside ofthe door 300 and protrude toward the housing 100.

In the embodiment, the third sealing body 391 is coupled to the doorframe 320 while passing through the door frame 320 in the front-reardirection, for example. Specifically, the third sealing body 391 may befitted and coupled to the coupling part 321 while passing through thecoupling part 321. The third sealing body 391 may be disposed to facethe upper end of the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100.

The third sealing body 391 being installed in the door frame 320 asdescribed above may protrude toward the lateral surface 120, 130 of thehousing 100. In this case, the end portion of the lower side of thethird sealing body 391 may be rounded like the second sealing body 381(see FIG. 65 )

Since the end portion of the lower side of the third sealing body 391 isrounded, the third sealing body 391 may contact the upper end of thelateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 closely and effectively inthe state in which the cooking space 105 is closed by the door 300.Thus, the third sealing body 391 may seal the gap between the lateralsurface 120, 130 of the housing 100 and the door 300 more effectively.

Additionally, since the end portion of the rear side of the thirdsealing body 391 is rounded as described above, the possibility ofdamage to the third gasket 390, caused by repetitive contact between thethird gasket 390 and the housing 100, and magnitude of noise beinggenerated during the opening and closing processes of the door 300 maybe reduced.

The third sealing body 391 may have a third gasket hollow hole part 392therein. The third gasket hollow hole part 392 may be formed in a waythat penetrates in the third sealing body 391.

Since the third gasket hollow hole part 392 is formed in the thirdsealing body 391, the third sealing body 391 may closely contact thelateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 more definitely and seal thegap between the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 and the doorupper surface part 310 effectively.

The third gasket 390 may further include a third sealing projection 393.The third sealing projection 393 may protrude from the third sealingbody 391 and form a flat surface parallel with the door rear surfacecover 350 b. The third sealing projection 393 may closely contact thedoor frame 320 from the outside of the door 300.

A third gasket fitting hole 312 b may be included in the door frame 320.The third gasket fitting hole 312 b may be formed in a way thatpenetrates in the up-down direction at the coupling part 321 of the doorframe 320. The third sealing body 391 may be inserted into the thirdgasket fitting hole 312 b and fitted and coupled to the door frame 320.

The third sealing body 391 may be formed into a cylinder, and the thirdgasket fitting hole 312 b may be formed into a hole corresponding to thecylinder. Additionally, the third sealing projection 393 may be formedinto a projection that protrudes from the first sealing body 371 in thecentrifugal direction.

The third sealing projection 393 covers the gap between the thirdsealing body 391 being inserted into the third gasket fitting hole 312 band the door frame 320 from under the door frame 320, to seal the gapbetween the third sealing body and the door upper surface part 310.

The third sealing projection 393, provided as described above, may blockthe flow of heat or steam, leaking from the inside of the cooing space105 through the gap between the door upper surface part 310 and thelateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100, into the door 300 throughthe third gasket fitting hole 312 b.

Further, the third sealing projection 393 may be disposed in a positionadjacent to the bottom surface of the third sealing body 391. As thedoor 300 closes the cooking space, the third projection 393 may sealbetween the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 and the doorupper surface part 310 together with the third sealing body 391 that isdeformed and becomes flat between the lateral surface 120, 130 of thehousing 100 and the door upper surface part 310. In this case, the thirdsealing projection 393 may closely contact the door frame 320 and thelateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 respectively and seal thegap between the door upper surface part 310 and the lateral surface 120,130 of the housing 100.

Additionally, the third gasket 390 may further include a third sealingprojection 393. The third sealing projection 393 may protrude from thethird sealing body 391 and protrude in a parallel direction with theflat surface being formed by the coupling part 321 of the door frame320.

A third gasket fitting hole 312 b may be included in the door frame 320.The third gasket fitting hole 312 b may be formed in a way thatpenetrates in the up-down direction at the door frame 320, specifically,at the coupling part 321. The third sealing body 391 may be insertedinto the third gasket fitting hole 312 b and fitted and coupled to thedoor frame 320.

The third sealing body 391 may be formed into a cylinder, and the thirdgasket fitting hole 312 b may be formed into a hole corresponding to thecylinder. Additionally, the third sealing projection 393 may be formedinto a projection that protrudes from the third sealing body 391 in thecentrifugal direction.

The third gasket 390 may be provided with a plurality of third sealingprojections 393. The plurality of third sealing projections 393 may bespaced at predetermined intervals in the lengthwise direction of thethird sealing body 391, i.e., in the front-rear direction.

At least any one of the third sealing projections 393 being disposed asdescribed above may be fitted between the inner circumferential surfaceof the door frame 320 and the third sealing body 391, in the thirdgasket fitting hole 312 b. The third sealing projection 393 may improvethe strength of the fit coupling between the door frame 320 and thethird sealing body 391, while sealing between the inner circumferentialsurface of the door frame 320 and the third sealing body 391.

That is, the third sealing projection 393 may prevent heat or steamleaking through the gap between the door upper surface part 310 and thelateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 from the inside of thecooking space 105 from flowing into the door 300 through the thirdgasket fitting hole 312 b, and maintain the coupling state between thethird gasket 390 and the door 300 stably.

Additionally, the plurality of third sealing projections 393 beingincluded in the third gasket 390 may produce the following effects.

First, the sealing between the inner circumferential surface of the doorrear surface cover 350 b and the third sealing body 391 is done inmultiple ways, thereby preventing heat or steam from flowing into thedoor 300 more effectively through the third gasket fitting hole 312 b.

Second, the portion where the strength of the coupling between the doorrear surface cover 350 b and the third sealing body 391 improves may beformed at a plurality of points, thereby maintaining the coupling statebetween the third gasket 390 and the door 300 more stably.

A third support body 395 may support the third sealing body 391, in thedoor upper surface part 310. The third support body 395 may closelycontact the upper surface of the door frame 320 while being disposedclose to the lower portion of the door upper surface part 310.

The third support body 395 may include a first protrusion support part396 and a second protrusion support part 397. The first protrusionsupport part 396 may protrude from the third sealing body 391 in aparallel direction with the flat surface being formed by the couplingpart 321 of the door frame 320. The second protrusion support part 397may protrude in a different direction from the direction in which thefirst protrusion support part 396 protrudes, while protruding in aparallel direction with the first protrusion support part 396.

In the embodiment, the first protrusion support part 396 and the secondprotrusion support part 397 are disposed to connect to each other in astraight line, and the third sealing body 391 is disposed between thefirst protrusion support part 396 and the second protrusion support part397, for example.

In the state in which the third sealing body 391 is fitted into thethird gasket fitting hole 312 b, the first protrusion support part 396and the second protrusion support part 397 may connect in a straightline with the third gasket fitting hole 312 b therebetween. The firstprotrusion support part 396 and the second protrusion support part 397may be fixed to the inside of the door front surface part 350 whilebeing fitted into the door frame 320 at both sides of the third gasketfitting hole 312 b in the lateral direction thereof.

Further, a cable mounting part 340, 345 may be disposed in the doorupper surface part 310. The cable mounting part 340, 345 may be disposedrespectively outside the see-through window W in both lateral directionsthereof, while being disposed between the door upper surface part 310and the door frame 320 that are disposed in the up-down direction.

The cable mounting part 340, 345 may be disposed between the first glass330 and the second glass 335 that are spaced in the up-down direction.That is, the cable mounting part 340,345 may be mounted on the secondglass 335, and the first glass 330 may be mounted on the cable mountingpart 340, 345. In other words, the cable mounting part 340, 345 may befitted between the first glass 330 and the second glass 335.

A mounting groove may be provided respectively on the upper surface ofthe cable mounting part 340, 345 contacting the first glass 330, and thelower surface of the cable mounting part 340, 345 contacting the secondglass 335.

The sealing member S may be installed in each of the mounting grooves.That is, the sealing member S may be provided respectively between thecable mounting part 340, 345 and the first glass 330 and between thecable mounting part 340, 345 and the second glass 335.

Accordingly, a sealing structure between the cable mounting part 340,345 and the first glass 330 and between the cable mounting part 340, 345and the second glass 335 may be formed using the sealing member S.

The end portion of the second glass 335 in the lateral direction thereofmay be disposed close to the third gasket 390. One side portion of themounting groove in the lateral direction thereof, on the lower surfaceof the cable mounting part 340, 345, may be mounted on the second glass335, and the other side portion of the mounting groove in the lateraldirection there, on the lower surface of the cable mounting part 340,345, may protrude outward in the lateral direction of the second glass335.

The first protrusion support part 396 of the third support body 395 mayprotrude toward the second glass 335 while protruding from the thirdsealing body 391 in the lateral direction. The first protrusion supportpart 396 being formed as described above may be fitted between theportion of the cable mounting part 340, 345, protruding outward in thelateral direction of the second glass 335, and the coupling part 321 ofthe door frame 320, in the state in which the third sealing body 391 isfitted into the third gasket fitting hole 312 b.

That is, the first protrusion support part 396 may be fitted and coupledbetween the door frame 320 and the cable mounting part 340, 345 suchthat at least a portion of the bottom surface of the first protrusionsupport part 396 closely contacts the upper surface of the coupling part321, and a portion of the upper surface of the first protrusion supportpart 396 closely contacts a portion of the lower surface of the cablemounting part 340, 345.

Based on the fit coupling described above, the up-to-down position ofthe third support body 395 may be regulated effectively, and thecoupling state between the third gasket 390 and the door upper surfacepart 310 may be maintained more stably.

Additionally, since the third support body 395 is stably coupled to thedoor upper surface part 310 as described above, the coupling between thethird gasket 390 and the door upper surface part 310 may be maintainedreliably such that the third gasket 390 is prevented from shaking orbeing detached from the door upper surface part 310.

[Operation and Effect of Gasket]

FIG. 67 is a rear view showing a rear surface of the door of the cookingappliance in one embodiment, and FIG. 68 is a bottom view showing alower surface of the door in FIG. 67 .

Referring to FIGS. 67 and 68 , a pair of first gaskets 370 and a secondgasket 380 may be disposed on the rear surface of the door 300, i.e.,the rear surface of the door front surface part 350. That is, threegaskets may be disposed on the rear surface of the door 300.

In the embodiment, the second gasket 380 may be disposed between thepair of first gaskets 370 that are spaced from each other in the lateraldirection. For example, the pair of first gaskets 370 and the secondgasket 380 may be arranged in a way that the pair of first gaskets 370and the second gasket 380 connect in an approximate “M” form. In thiscase, the first gasket 370 and the second gasket 380 may connect to eachother, or the first gasket 370 and the second gasket 380 may separatefrom each other and be spaced by a predetermined distance.

In the state in which the cooking space is closed by the door 300, eachof the first gaskets 370 may include a straight line shape that extendsin the up-down direction, and the second gasket 380 may include astraight line shape that extends in the left-right direction. That is,each of the first gaskets 370 may be provided in the form of avertically straight line, and the second gasket 380 may be provided inthe form of a horizontally straight line that is orthogonal to the firstgasket 370.

Additionally, a pair of third gaskets 390 may be disposed on the lowersurface of the door 300, i.e., the bottom surface of the door uppersurface part 310. That is, two gaskets 390 may be disposed on the bottomsurface of the door upper surface part 310.

In the embodiment, the pair of third gaskets 390 may be spaced in thelateral direction with the see-through window W therebetween. In thestate in which the cooking space is closed by the door 300, each of thethird gaskets 390 may include a straight line shape that extends in thefront-rear direction. That is, the third gasket 390 may be provided inthe form of a straight line such that the third gasket 390 is orthogonalto the first gasket 370 and the second gasket 380.

The first gasket 370, the second gasket 380 and the third gasket 390,which are provided as described above, may be disposed at the pointwhere the door 300 and the housing 100 contact each other when the door300 closes the cooking space 105 (see FIG. 70 ).

The gaskets 370, 380, 390, which are disposed as described above, mayseal the gap between the door 300 and the housing 100 at the front of orin the upper portion of the cooking space 105. For example, the firstgasket 370 and the second gasket 380 may seal the gap between the door300 and the housing 100 at the front of the cooking space 105,specifically, between the lateral surface 120, 130 and the bottomsurface 110 of the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350.Additionally, the third gasket 390 may seal the gap between the door 300and the housing 100 in the upper portion of the cooking space 105,specifically, between the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100and the door upper surface part 310.

Since the gaskets 370, 380, 390 seal the gap between the door 300 andthe housing 100 at the front of or in the upper portion of the cookingspace 105, heat and steam in the cooking space 105 may be prevented fromleaking through the gap between the door 300 and the housing 100.

Further, the gaskets 370, 380, 390 may prevent a scratch on the door 300or the housing 100, caused by contact between the door 300 and thehousing 100 that is made while the door 300 opens and closes the cookingspace 105.

The gaskets 370, 380, 390, which are provided as described above, mayabsorb an impact that is applied to the door 300 when the door 300contacts the housing 100, closing the cooking space. The gaskets 370,380, 390 may efficiently help to prevent damage to the door 300 itselfor the components being installed in the door 300, which is caused by animpact being applied to the door 300 while the door 300 opens and closesthe cooking space 105.

[Steam Rearward-Discharge Inducing Structure]

FIG. 69 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an inner structureof a door, FIG. 70 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing a flow ofair inside a cooking appliance, and FIG. 71 is an enlarged view showingportion “XXXXXXXI” in FIG. 70 .

Referring to FIGS. 6, 62 and 64 , an air exhaust opening 303 may bedisposed at the rear side of the door 300. Specifically, a space part315 may be formed in the door upper surface part 310, and the airexhaust opening 303 may be disposed at the rear end of the door uppersurface part 310.

Preferably, the space part 315 may be disposed between the see-throughwindow W and the air exhaust opening 303. In an example, the space part315 may be a spaced that is formed between the sealing member S (seeFIG. 9 ) and the air exhaust opening 303, in the door upper surface part310.

The air exhaust opening 303 may be formed in a way that penetrates inthe front-rear direction at the rear end of the door upper surface part310. The air exhaust opening 303 may form a passage that opens the spacepart 315 in the door upper surface part 310 from the rear end of thedoor upper surface part 310 to the outside.

Heat or steam, being generated in the door upper surface part 310 thatis heated during cooking or flowing into the space part 315 from thecooking space 105, may be discharged out of the cooking appliancethrough the air exhaust opening 303.

A connection hole 321 a may be formed in the door frame 320,specifically, the coupling part 321. The connection hole 321 a may beformed in a way that penetrates in the up-down direction in the couplingpart 321. The connection hole 321 a may form a passage that connectsbetween the space part 315 in the door upper surface part 310 and thecooking space 105.

Referring to FIGS. 64 to 66 , heat, generated in the door upper surfacepart 310 that is heated during cooking, may fill the space part 315, andthe heat in the space part 315 may be discharged out of the cookingappliance through the air exhaust opening 303.

Additionally, heat and steam generated in the cooking space 105 duringcooking may flow into the space part 315 through the connection hole 321a. The heat and steam having flown into the space part 315 may bedischarged out of the cooking appliance through the air exhaust opening303.

Further, the heater mounting part 325 that is a structure protrudingdownward on the door frame 320 may be provided with a passage hole 328c.

In the embodiment, the air exhaust opening 303 is disposed at the centerof the door upper surface part 310 in the lateral direction thereofwhile being disposed at the rear end of the door upper surface part 310,for example. Additionally, in the embodiment, the connection hole 321 aand the air exhaust opening 303 are disposed in an overlapping positionapproximately in the front-rear direction, for example.

In an example, the connection hole 321 a may be disposed at the centerof the coupling part 321 in the lateral direction thereof, i.e., in aposition closer to the grill supporting part 328 than the firstconnection end fixing part 326 and the second connection end fixing part327. The passage hole 328 c may be provided on the grill supporting part328 such that the passage hole 328 c is disposed to overlap theconnection hole 321 a approximately in the front-rear direction. Forexample, the passage hole 328 c may be disposed in a position where atleast a portion of the connection hole 321 a overlaps at least a portionof the passage hole 328 c in the front-rear direction.

The passage hole 328 c may be formed in a way that penetrates in thefront-rear direction at the cover 328 a of the grill supporting part328. In the embodiment, the passage hole 328 c is respectively formed onboth sides of the cover 328 a in the lateral direction thereof, forexample.

Heat or steam generated in the cooking space 105, or air discharged intothe cooking space 105 through the cool air discharge part 125 at thefront side of the cooking space 105 may pass through a structure such asa grill supporting part 328 protruding toward the inside of the cookingspace 105 through the passage hole 328 c, and flow to the connectionhole 321 a.

That is, the passage hole 328 c may form a passage that allows air atthe front side of the cooking space 105 to pass through the structureprotruding toward the inside of the cooking space 105 and to move to therear side of the cooking space 105 effectively. The passage hole 328 cmay form a passage that passes in the front-rear direction through thegrill supporting part 328 that blocks the connection hole 321 a in frontof the connection hole 321 a.

[Steam Forward-Discharge Prevention Structure]

Hereafter, a steam forward-discharge prevention structure of the cookingappliance in the embodiment is described with reference to FIGS. 56 to66 .

Referring to FIGS. 58 to 65 , a first gasket 370 and a second gasket 380and a third gasket 390 may be disposed between the housing 100 and thedoor 300.

The first gasket 370 may seal between both the lateral surfaces 120, 130of the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350 at both the sidesof the cooking space 105 in the left-right direction thereof. The secondgasket 380 may seal between the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100and the door front surface part 350, in the lower portion of the cookingspace 105. In this case, the first gasket 370 and the second gasket 380may seal between the housing 100 and the door 300, at the front of thecooking space 105.

Additionally, the third gasket 390 may seal between both the lateralsurfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100 and the door upper surface part 310respectively, at both the sides of the cooking space 105 in theleft-right direction thereof. In this case, the third gasket 390 mayseal between the housing 100 and the door 300, in the upper portion ofthe cooking space 105.

In summary, the gap between the open front surface of the housing 100and the door 300 may be sealed by the first gasket 370 and the secondgasket 380, and the gap between the open upper surface of the housing100 and the door 300 may be sealed by the third gasket 390.

Since the gap between the door 300 and the housing 100 is sealed by thefirst gasket 370, the second gasket 380 and the third gasket 390 asdescribed above, heat or steam, generated in the cooking space 105during cooking, may hardly leak out of the cooking appliance through thegap between the door 300 and the housing 100.

That is, the gaskets 370, 380, 390 which are disposed between the door300 and the housing 100 as described above may help to effectivelyprevent heat or steam generated in the cooking space 105 during cookingfrom leaking out of the cooking appliance through the gap between thedoor 300 and the housing 100.

Referring to FIGS. 56 and 57 , a portion of the air having flown intothe cooling channel 850 by the third cooling fan 860 may be dischargedinto the cooking space 105 through the channel outlet 833 and the coolair discharge part 125.

The air discharged into the cooking space 105 through the cool airdischarge part 125 may create the flow of air in which air flows to thecenter of the cooking space 105 in the lateral direction thereof fromthe lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100.

Additionally, the air discharged into the cooking space 105 through thecool air discharge part 125 may create an air flow in which air flows tothe rear side of the cooking space 105 from the front side thereof.

The flow of heat and steam, formed in the cooking space 105, may beinduced in a direction away from the lateral surface 120, 130 of thehousing 100 and in a direction toward the rear side of the cooking space105, by the air flow formed by the air discharged into the cooking space105.

That is, the flow of heat and steam formed in the cooking space 105 maybe induced in a direction away from the gap between the housing 100 andthe door 300 and in a direction toward the rear side of the cookingspace 105 adjacent to the air exhaust opening 303, by the air dischargedinto the cooking space 105 through the cool air discharge part 125.

Further, the flow of the air discharged into the cooking space 105through the cool air discharge part 125 may serve as an air curtain thatblocks the gap between the door 300 and the housing 100.

In summary, the flow of air discharged into the cooking space 105through the cool air discharge part 125 may induce the flow of heat andsteam formed in the cooking space 105 in a direction away from the gapbetween the housing 100 and the door 300 and in a direction toward therear side of the cooking space 105 adjacent to the air exhaust opening303, while serving as an air curtain that blocks the gap between thedoor 300 and the housing 100.

Referring to FIGS. 64 to 66 , the air exhaust opening 303 may beprovided at the door 300, specifically, at the rear end of the doorupper surface part 310, and the connection hole 321 a may be formed atthe door frame 320. The connection hole 321 a may form a passage thatconnects between the space part 315 in the door upper surface part 310and the cooking space 105, and the air exhaust opening 303 may form apassage that opens the space part 315 to the outside of the door 300.

Heat and steam that are generated in the cooking space 105 duringcooking may flow into the space part 315 through the connection hole 321a. The heat and steam having flown into the space part 315 may bedischarged out of the cooking appliance through the air exhaust opening303.

In particular, the heat and steam generated in the cooking space 105 mayflow to the rear side of the cooking space 105 by the air flow inducedby the air discharged through the cool air discharge part 125, and thenflow into the space part 315 through the connection hole 321 a.

That is, the connection hole 321 a may form a passage that allows theheat and steam, having flown to the rear side of the cooking space bythe air discharged through the cool air discharge part 125, to flow tothe air exhaust opening 303.

Additionally, the passage hole 328 c may be formed at a structureprotruding from the door frame 320 being disposed in the lower portionof the door upper surface part 310 toward the cooking space 105, e.g.,the grill supporting part 328, and form a passage that allows heat andsteam to passes through a structure protruding downward from the doorframe 320 toward the cooking space 105 and to move to the air exhaustopening 303.

In summary, the forward discharge of heat and steam generated in thecooking space 105 may be prevented based on complex operations of thefollowing structure.

First, the gap between the open front surface and open upper surface ofthe housing 100 and the door 300 may be sealed by the first gasket 370and the second gasket 380 that are disposed between the housing 100 andthe door front surface part 350 and by the third gasket 390 that isdisposed between the housing 100 and the door upper surface part.

Second, the flow of the air discharged into the cooking space 105through the cool air discharge part 125 may induce the flow of the heatand steam formed in the cooking space 105 in a direction away from thegap between the housing 100 and the door 300, while serving as an aircurtain that blocks the gap between the door 300 and the housing 100.

Third, the flow of the air discharged into the cooking space 105 throughthe cool air discharge part 125 may induce the heat and steam generatedin the cooking space 105 toward the rear side of the cooking space 105adjacent to the air exhaust opening 303.

Fourth, the heat and steam generated in the cooking space 105 may flowto the rear side of the cooking space 105 by the flow of the airdischarged through the cool air discharge part 125, flow into the door300 through the connection hole 321 a and then be discharged out of thecooking appliance through the air exhaust opening 303.

That is, the cooking appliance in the embodiment may block the gapbetween the door 300 and the housing 100, using the operations of thegaskets 370, 380, 390 and the operation of the air current dischargedthrough the cool air discharge part 125, and induce the flow of the heatand steam in the cooking space 105 to the rear side of the cooking spacesuch that the heat and steam, which can hardly be discharged through thegap between the door 300 and the hosing 100 in the cooking space 105, isdischarged through the air exhaust opening 303.

Thus, the cooking appliance in the embodiment may effectively preventthe heat and steam generated in the cooking space 105 from leaking outof the cooking appliance from the front side of the cooking appliance.

The cooking appliance having the above-described configuration isprovided as an example, and various other replacements thereof may bemade.

FIG. 72 is a perspective view showing a door frame in anotherembodiment, FIG. 73 is an enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXXIII” inFIG. 72 , and FIG. 74 is a cross-sectional view showing a couplingstructure between the door frame in FIG. 72 and a hinge part. FIG. 75 isan enlarged view showing portion “XXXXXXXV” in FIG. 4 , and FIG. 76 is across-sectional perspective view separately showing a cabinet and ahousing in another embodiment. FIG. 77 is an enlarged perspective viewshowing a portion of the cabinet in FIG. 75 , FIG. 78 is a bottomperspective view showing the lower surface side of the cooking appliancein FIG. 75 , and FIG. 79 is a cross-sectional view along line“XXXXXXXIX-XXXXXXXIX” in FIG. 78 .

Hereafter, another embodiment according to the present disclosure isdescribed with reference to FIGS. 72 to 79 .

The reference numerals in the previous drawings are given to the samecomponents providing the same function in the following drawings, anddescription in relation to them is omitted.

[Door-Gap Adjustment Structure]

Hereafter, a door-gap adjustment structure of a cooking appliance inanother embodiment is described with reference to FIGS. 72 to 74 .

Referring to FIGS. 72 to 74 , the cooking appliance in anotherembodiment may include a hinge coupling part 2321 and a fastening part10, 15. The hinge coupling part 2321 may be fixed to a door 300,specifically, a door upper surface part 310, and coupled to a hinge part810. The fastening part 10, 15 may couple the hinge part 810 to thehinge coupling part 2321.

The hinge coupling part 2321 may be disposed at a door frame 2320.Specifically, the hinge coupling part 2321 may be disposed on a couplingpart 321. The hinge coupling part 2321 may be provided as a structurefor a coupling between the hinge part 810 and the door frame 2320.

In the embodiment, the hinge coupling part 2321 and the hinge part 810are coupled in the up-down direction, for example. In this case, thehinge coupling part 2320 may be disposed in front of a first hingepassage hole 320 b. The hinge coupling part 2320 may include a couplingsurface 2322 that forms a surface facing the hinge part 810 in theup-down direction on the first hinge passage hole 320 b.

In an example, the coupling surface 2322 may be formed into a surfacebeing disposed on the first hinge passage hole 320 b in a way that thecoupling surface 2322 is spaced a predetermined distance apart from thefirst hinge passage hole 320 b. The coupling surface 2322 may beprovided in a way that the coupling surface 2322 is supported by lateralwalls protruding from the door frame 2320.

A first fastening hole 2323 may be formed on the coupling surface 2322.The first fastening hole 2323 may be formed in a way that penetrates inthe up-down direction on the coupling surface 2322.

The hinge coupling part 2321 may be provided with a position adjustmentguide part. The position adjustment guide part may guide a couplingposition in the front-rear direction between the fastening part and thehinge coupling part 2321. Additionally, the fastening part may becoupled to the position adjustment guide part in way that the fasteningpart can move in the front-rear direction, and coupled to the hingecoupling part 2321.

In the embodiment, the fastening part includes a bolt member 2010 and anut member 2015, for example. In this case, the bolt member 2010 may becoupled to the hinge part 810 and the coupling surface 2322, passingthrough the hinge part 810 and the coupling surface 2322 in the up-downdirection. The nut member 2015 may be coupled to the bolt member 2010and fix the bolt member 2010 to the coupling surface 2322.

The bolt member 2010 and the nut member 2015 may be screw-coupled, andat least any one of the bolt member 2010 and the nut member 2015 may becoupled to the position adjustment guide part. In the embodiment, whilethe nut member 2015 is coupled to the position adjustment guide part,the bolt member 2010 and the nut member 2015 is coupled, for example.

The bolt member 2010 may pass through the coupling surface 2322 in theup-down direction through the first fastening hole 2323 that is formedin the way that penetrates in the up-down direction on the couplingsurface 2322. In this case, the bolt member 2010 may be coupled to thehinge coupling part 2321, passing through the coupling surface 2322 inthe state in which the head of the bolt member 2010 is disposed underthe coupling surface 2322.

The nut member 2015 may be coupled to the bolt member 2010, on couplingsurface 2322. That is, the nut member 2015 may be coupled to a portionof the bolt member 2010, which protrudes upward from the couplingsurface 2322, and based on the coupling between the bolt member 2010 andthe nut member 2015, the hinge part 810 may be coupled to the door frame2320.

In the embodiment, the position adjustment guide part may include thefirst fastening hole 2323. The first fastening hole 2323 included in theposition adjustment guide part may be formed in a way that extends inthe front-rear direction. That is, the position adjustment guide partmay include a first fastening hole 2323 that has a front-to-rear lengthgreater than the diameter of the bolt member 2010.

Since the first fastening hole 2323 is elongated in the front-reardirection further than the bolt member 2010, as described above, thefastening part may be coupled to the hinge coupling part 2321 in a waythe front-to-rear position of the fastening part can be adjusted.

Accordingly, the bolt member 2010 and the hinge coupling part 2321 maybe coupled not only in a way that the front-to-rear position of the boltmember 2010 is fixed to any one position relative to the hinge couplingpart 2321 but in a way that the position of the bolt member 2010 can beadjusted in the front-rear direction relative to the hinge coupling part2321.

That is, the position in which the bolt member 2010 and the hingecoupling part 2321 are coupled can be adjusted along the front-reardirection by the first fastening hole 2323 that is elongated in thefront-rear direction while allowing the bolt member 2010 to be insertedinto the first fastening hole 2323.

The hinge part 810 being coupled to the fastening part by the boltmember 2010 may be coupled to the door frame 2320 in the way that thefront-to rear position of the hinge part 810 can be adjusted while beingcoupled to the door frame 2320 by the fastening part.

That is, the coupling position between the hinge part 810 and the doorframe 2320 can be adjusted in the front-rear direction, depending on theposition in which the bolt member 2010, fitted into the hinge couplingpart 2321 through the first fastening hole 2323 that is elongated in thefront-rear direction, is coupled to the hinge coupling part 2321 in thefront-rear direction.

Further, the position adjustment guide part may further include afastening and guiding groove 2324. The fastening and guiding groove 2324may be concave in the upward direction or the downward direction fromthe coupling surface 2322. In the embodiment, the fastening and guidinggroove 2324 is concave in the downward direction from the upper surfaceof the coupling surface 2322, for example.

At least a portion of the nut member 2015 may be inserted into thefastening and guiding groove 2324. In this case, the screw-couplingbetween the bolt member 2010 and the nut member 2015 may be performed inthe fastening and guiding groove 2324.

In the embodiment, the front-to-rear length of the fastening and guidinggroove 2324 may be greater than the longest diameter of the nut member2015. That is, like the first fastening hole 2323 being elongatedfurther than the bolt member 2010 in the front-rear direction, thefastening and guiding groove 2324 may be elongated further than nutmember 2015 in the front-rear direction.

Accordingly, while the nut member 2015 is fitted and coupled to thefastening and guiding groove 2324, the nut member 2015 may be fitted andcoupled to the fastening and guiding groove 2324 in a way that the nutmember 2015 can move in the front-rear direction. That is, while the nutmember 2015 is fitted to the fastening and guiding groove 2324 throughthe open upper portion of the fastening and guiding groove 2324, theposition of the nut member 2015 relative to the hinge coupling part 2321may be adjusted along a front-to-rear passage, being formed in thefastening and guiding groove 2324, in the front-rear direction.

The nut member 2015 may be formed into a polygonal pillar. Additionally,the fastening and guiding groove 2324 may be formed in a way that thefastening and guiding groove 2324 interferes with the nut member 2015 tolimit the rotation of the nut member 2015.

For example, the nut member 2015 may be formed into a hexagonal pillar.Additionally, the fastening and guiding groove 2324 may be formed in away that a shape of a hexagonal pillar corresponding to the shape of thenut member 2015 is elongated in the front-rear direction and engraved onthe coupling surface 2322.

Thus, while the nut member 2015 may move in the front-rear direction inthe state in which the nut member 2015 is fitted into the fastening andguiding groove 2324, the nut member 2015 may be fitted and coupled tothe hinge coupling part 2321 in the state in which the nut member 2015rotates around the bolt member 2010 limitedly.

The fastening and guiding groove 2324 and the nut member 2015 beingfitted into the fastening and guiding groove 2324 may be disposed on thedoor frame 2320. That is, the fastening and guiding groove 2324 and thenut member 2015 may be disposed onto the upper surface of the door frame2320, facing the door upper surface part 310.

Accordingly, the fastening and guiding groove 2324 and the nut member2015 may be disposed in the space between the door upper surface part310 and the door frame 2320. That is, the fastening and guiding groove2324 and the nut member 2015 may be accommodated in the space surroundedby the door upper surface part 310 and the door frame 2320.

The door frame 2320 with the above-described position adjustment guidepart, the hinge part 810 and the door upper surface part 310 may becoupled as follows.

That is, as the nut member 2015 is fitted into the fastening and guidinggroove 2324, the bolt member 2010 may be coupled to the hinge part 810and the hinge coupling part 2321 in the state in which the hingecoupling part 2321 and the hinge part 810 contact each other in theup-down direction.

In an example, the bolt member 2010 may be coupled to the hinge part 810and the hinge coupling part 2321, passing through the hinge part 810 andthe coupling surface 2322, in the state in which the head of the boltmember 2010 is disposed under the coupling surface 2322. In this case,in the state in which the hinge part 810 is disposed under the couplingsurface 2322, the bolt member 2010 may pass through the hinge part 810and the coupling surface 2322, and at least a portion of the bolt member2010 may protrude upward from the coupling surface 2322 through thefirst fastening hole 2323. The portion of the bolt member 2010,protruding upward from the coupling surface 2322, may be coupled to thenut member 2015 in the fastening and guiding groove 2324.

In the embodiment, a first hinge link 811 of the hinge part 810 isdirectly coupled to the hinge coupling part 2321, for example. In anexample, the first hinge link 811 may be provided with a secondfastening hole 811 a. The second fastening hole 811 a may be formed in away that penetrates in the up-down direction in the first hinge link811. The second fastening hole 811 a may have a diameter correspondingto the diameter of the bolt member 2010.

The bolt member 2010 may pass through the hinge part 810 through thesecond fastening hole 811 a. The bolt member 2010 may penetrate thehinge part 810 and the hinge coupling part 2321 consecutively throughthe second fastening hole 811 a and the first fastening hole 2323, andthen be coupled to the nut member 2015 on the upper surface of thecoupling surface 2322, specifically, in the fastening and guiding groove2324.

In this case, since the rotation of the nut member 2015 is limited bythe fastening and guiding groove 2324, the bolt member 2010 may befastened to the nut member 2015 smoothly without additional labor orequipment for fixing the nut member 2015.

Additionally, the position in which the bolt member 2010 and the nutmember 2015 are coupled may be adjusted in the front-rear direction, inthe fastening and guiding groove 2324. Thus, the coupling positionbetween the first hinge link 811 and the hinge coupling part 2321, i.e.,the coupling position between the hinge part 810 and the door frame2320, in the front-rear direction may be adjusted easily andeffectively.

The door frame 2320 to which the hinge part 810 is coupled as describedabove may be coupled to the door upper surface part 310. Accordingly,the door 300 may be swivably coupled to the housing 100 through thehinge part 810. In this case, the door 300 may be coupled to the hingepart 810 in a way that the front-to-rear position of the door 300 can beadjusted relative to the hinge part 810.

In the embodiment, the coupling position between the hinge part 810 andthe door frame 2320 in the front-rear direction may be adjusted, anddepending on the adjusted coupling position between the hinge part 810and the door frame 2320, the front-to-rear position of the door 300 maybe adjusted relative to the housing 100.

Further, the door frame 2320 may be coupled to the door upper surfacepart 310, while covering the open lower portion of the door uppersurface part 310. Accordingly, the fastening and guiding groove 2324 andthe nut member 2015 may be disposed in the space between the door uppersurface part 310 and the door frame 2320. Additionally, the bolt member2010 may be coupled to the nut member 2015 in the space between the doorupper surface part 310 and the door frame 2320.

Thus, the fastening portion between the bolt member 2010 and the nutmember 2015 may be disposed in the space between the door upper surfacepart 310 and the door frame 2320 and not be exposed to the outside ofthe door 300. That is, the hinge part 810 and the door 300 may befastened to each other easily and efficiently, and the door 300 beingexposed to the outside have a neat exterior.

In the embodiment, a plurality of gaskets 370, 380, 390 such as a firstgasket 370 see FIG. 59 ), a second gasket 380 (see FIG. 61 ) and a thirdgasket 390 (see FIG. 63 ) may be installed in the door 300.

The gaskets 370, 380, 390, as described above, may suppress the leakageof heat and steam through the gap between the door 300 and the housing100, prevent a scratch on the door 300 or the housing 100, and absorb animpact that is applied to the door 300 when the cooking space 105 isopened and closed.

Due to the gaskets 370, 380, 390, it may be difficult to managetolerance in relation to the gap between the door 300 and the housing100. That is, additional gaskets 370, 380, 390 between the door 300 andthe housing 100 may cause a change in the gap between the door 300 andthe housing 100. Accordingly, it may be more difficult to managetolerance in relation to the gap between the door 300 and the housing100.

The gap (hereafter, a “Z-axis gap”) between the upper end of the lateralsurface 120, 130 of the housing 100 and the door upper surface part 310the gap between the door 300 and the housing 100, and the gap(hereafter, a “Y-axis gap”) between the end portion of the front of thelateral surface 120, 130 and bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 andthe door front surface part 350 may be mainly taken into account as thegap between the door 300 and the housing 100. Depending on how tolerancein relation to the gaps is managed, it may be determined whether thedoor 300 is opened and closed smoothly and whether heat and steamgenerated in the cooking space 105 is effectively blocked from leaking.

The Z-axis gap-related tolerance may be managed more easily than theY-axis gap-related tolerance. The number of Z-axis gap-related gasketsmay be less than the number of Y-axis gap-related gaskets, and theZ-axis gap-related tolerance is highly likely to be compensated by theload of the door 300 itself to some degree.

Additionally, considering that the number of Y-axis gap-related gasketsis greater than the number of Z-axis gap-related gaskets and that thedirection in which the load of the door 300 itself is applied differsfrom the direction in which the Y-axis gap increases or decreases, themanagement of the Y-axis gap-related tolerance may be more difficultthan the management of the Z-axis gap-related tolerance.

In the embodiment, considering the fact, a structure for the managementof the Y-axis gap-related tolerance is disclosed. That is, in theembodiment, the fastening part is coupled to the hinge coupling part2321 in a way that the fastening part can move in the front-reardirection in the position adjustment guide part, and the hinge part 810installed in the housing 100 and the door frame 2320 coupled to the door300 are coupled by the fastening part.

In this case, the gap between the front surface of the housing 100 andthe door front surface part 350, or the gap between the end portion ofthe front of the lateral surface 120, 130 of the housing 100 and thedoor front surface part 350 may be adjusted, depending on thefront-to-rear position of the fastening part being coupled to theposition adjustment guide part. Additionally, as the gap between thefront surface of the housing 100 and the door front surface part 350 isadjusted, the Y-axis gap-related tolerance may be effectively managed.

[Cabinet Fixing Structure]

Hereafter, a cabinet fixing structure of the cooking appliance inanother embodiment is described with reference to FIGS. 75 to 79 .

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 75 to 77 , the exterior of the cookingappliance in another embodiment may be formed by a door, a housing 100and a cabinet 2170.

The cabinet 2170 may be provided to cover both the lateral surfaces 120,130 and the rear surface 140 of the housing 100. Additionally, thecabinet 2170 may be provided to cover the end portion of the front andthe end portion of the upper portion of both the lateral surfaces 120,130 of the cabinet 270, and the upper portion of a second control board700 being disposed behind the rear surface 140.

The cabinet 2170 may surround and protect a hinge case 830 disposed onboth the lateral surfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100, and the secondcontrol board 700 disposed on the rear surface 140 of the housing 100from the outside, and form the lateral and rear exteriors of the cookingappliance while forming a portion of the front of the cooking appliancetogether.

The cabinet 2170 may include a rear surface covering part 2171, a pairof lateral surface covering parts 2173 and a front surface covering part2175.

The rear surface covering part 2171 may form the rear surface of thecabinet 270, and disposed behind the rear surface 140 of the housing100. The rear surface covering part 2171 may surround and protect thesecond control board 700 being disposed on the rear surface 140 of thehousing 100 from the outside.

A through hole 171 may be formed in a way that penetrates in thefront-rear direction in the rear surface covering part 2171.Additionally, a suction exhaust grill 175 may be installed in thethrough hole 171. The configurations and operations of the through hole171 and the suction exhaust grill 175 are the same as or similar tothose described with reference to the previous embodiments, and detaileddescription in relation to them is omitted.

The lateral surface covering part 2173 may form the lateral surface ofthe cabinet 2170, and be disposed outside the lateral surface 120, 130of the housing 100 in the lateral direction thereof. In the embodiment,a pair of lateral surface covering parts 2173 is disposed on both sidesof the rear surface covering part 2171 with the rear surface coveringpart 2171 therebetween, for example. The pair of lateral surfacecovering parts 2173 may surround and protect both the lateral surfaces120, 130 of the housing 100 and the hinge assembly 800 outside both thelateral surfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100 in the lateral directionthereof.

The front surface covering part 2175 may form the front surface of thecabinet 2170, and be disposed in front of both the lateral surfaces 120,130 of the housing 100 and the hinge assembly 800. In the embodiment,the front surface covering part 2175 is formed in a way that extendsinward from the end portion of the front of the lateral surface coveringpart 2173 in the lateral direction thereof, for example. That is, a pairof front surface covering parts 2175 may be provided on both sides ofthe front of the cabinet 2170.

Additionally, a front extension surface part 135 may be providedrespectively in the end portion of a first lateral surface 120 and asecond lateral surface 130 adjacent to the front surface of the housing100, i.e., in the end portion of the front of the first lateral surface120 and the second lateral surface 130. The front extension surface part135 may protrude in the direction in which the first lateral surface 120and the second lateral surface 130 are farther away from each other,i.e., in a direction toward the outside of the housing 100 in thelateral direction thereof.

The front extension surface part 135 may be formed in a way that the endportion of the front of the first lateral surface 120 and the endportion of the front of the second lateral surface 130 bend respectivelyin the lateral direction. The front extension surface part 135 may beformed into a flat surface parallel with the front surface and the rearsurface 140 of the housing 100.

As the front extension surface part 135 is formed as described above,the first lateral surface 120 and the front extension surface part 135,and the second lateral surface 130 and the front extension surface part135 as well as the bottom surface 110 and both the lateral surfaces 120,130 of the housing 100 may integrally connect without a joint.

Further, the hinge assembly 800 being coupled to the first lateralsurface 120 may be disposed in the space surrounded by the first lateralsurface 120 and the front extension surface part 135. The hinge assembly800 may be coupled to the first lateral surface 120 and the frontextension surface part 135 while contacting the first lateral surface120 and the front extension surface part 135.

The lateral surface of the hinge assembly 800, facing the first lateralsurface 120, may be coupled to the first lateral surface 120 whilesurface-contacting the first lateral surface 120, and the front surfaceof the hinge assembly 800, facing the front extension surface part 135,may be coupled to the front extension surface part 135 while contactingthe rear surface of the front extension surface part 135.

Further, the hinge assembly 800 being coupled to the second lateralsurface 120 may be disposed in the space surrounded by the secondlateral surface 130 and the front extension surface part 135. The hingeassembly 800 is coupled to the second lateral surface 130 and the frontextension surface part 135 while contacting the second lateral surface130 and the front extension surface part 135.

That is, the lateral surface of the hinge assembly 800, facing thesecond lateral surface 130, may be coupled to the second lateral surface130 while surface-contacting the second lateral surface 130, and thefront surface of the hinge assembly 800, facing the front extensionsurface part 135, may be coupled to the front extension surface part 135while contacting the rear surface of the front extension surface part135.

The front extension surface part 135 being coupled to the hinge assembly800 may guide a coupling position of the hinge assembly 800 in thefront-rear direction thereof. That is, the position in which the frontsurface of the hinge assembly 800, facing the front extension surfacepart 135, contacts the rear surface of the front extension surface part135 may be the coupling position of the hinge assembly 800.

Additionally, the front extension surface part 135 may allow the housing100 and the hinge assembly 800 to be coupled in at least two or moredirections, thereby helping to improve the strength of the couplingbetween the housing 100 and the hinge assembly 800.

As like the front extension surface part 135, a coupling structure inwhich a structure protruding from the lateral surface 120, 130 of thehousing 100 in the lateral direction is coupled to the hinge assembly800 in the front-rear direction is formed, resistance against thedeformation of both the lateral surfaces 120, 130 of the housing 100 inthe lateral direction thereof may improve further.

The front surface covering part 2175 may cover the front extensionsurface part 135 from the front. The front surface covering part 2175may form the exterior of a portion of the cooking appliance except forthe door 300. The front surface covering part 2173 may cover a portionof the bottom surface 110 along with the lateral surface covering part2173.

The front surface covering part 2175 may cover the front of the housing100, and a gap may be formed among the front extension surface part 135and the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 and the front surfacecovering part 2175. The gap may be narrowed as much as the frontextension surface part 135 and the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100and the front surface covering part 2175 are closely coupled.

That is, unless the front extension surface part 135 and the bottomsurface 110 of the housing 100 and the front surface covering part 2175are coupled closely and properly, the gap between the front extensionsurface part 135 and the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 and thefront surface covering part 2175 may be widened further in thefront-rear direction.

Additionally, the cabinet 2170 may further include a lower end extensionpart 2177. The lower end extension part 2177 may extend from the lowerend of the front surface covering part 2175 in a parallel direction withthe bottom surface 110 of the housing 100. For example, the lower endextension part 2177 may be formed to include a flat surface that extendsrearward from the lower end of the front surface covering part 2175while being approximately orthogonal to the front surface covering part2175.

The lower end extension part 2177 formed as described above may notallow the sharp cross section of the cabinet 2170 to be exposed to thelower end of the cabinet 2170, thereby improving the esthetic qualitiesof the exterior of the cooking appliance. Additionally, the lower endextension part 2177 may prevent a user from being cut by the sharp crosssection of the cabinet 2170.

The lower end extension part 2177 at the lower end of the cabinet 2170may make it difficult to install the cabinet 2170 in the housing 100.

That is, since the lower end extension part 2177 being disposed at thefront of the cabinet 2170 extends rearward, the cabinet 2170 and thehousing 100 may interfere with each other when the cabinet 2170 isinstalled in the housing 100.

Ordinarily, the cabinet 2170 on housing 100 caps the housing 100 underthe cabinet 2170 when the cabinet 2170 is installed in the housing 100.However, since the lower end extension part 2177 at the lower end of thecabinet 2170 protrudes toward the housing 100 to be disposed inside thecabinet 2170, the housing 100 and the lower end extension part 2177 arehighly likely to interfere with each other when the cabinet 2170 isinstalled in the housing 100.

For example, while the cabinet 2170 caps the housing 100, the lateralsurface 120, 130 of the housing 100 may be scratched by the lower endextension part 2177 or the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 may bescratched by the lower end extension part 2177.

Further, when the cabinet 2170 caps the housing 100, the cabinet 2170and the housing 100 may interfere with each other frequently because ofthe lower end extension part 2177 being formed to protrude toward thehousing 100, making it difficult to cap the housing 100 with the cabinet2170.

To avoid the interference between the cabinet 2170 and the housing 100,the lateral surface covering part 2173 or the front surface coveringpart 2175 of the cabinet 2170 may be open to the outside or the frontside of the cabinet 2170 in the lateral direction thereof, to installthe cabinet 2170 in the housing 100.

In this case, the gap between the housing 100 and the cabinet 2170 mayincrease, and it may be more difficult to manage tolerance in relationto the gap between the housing 100 and the cabinet 2170, as the couplingbetween the housing 100 and the cabinet 2170 is completed.

In this case, since the cabinet 2170 is open, the cabinet 2170 may bedeformed permanently, thereby causing an increase in the defect of thequality, in particular, the aesthetic quality of the cooking appliance.

That is, since the lower end extension part 2177 is formed at the lowerend of the cabinet 2170, a scratch on the housing 100, difficulty ininstalling the cabinet 2170, difficulty in managing tolerance inrelation to the gap between the housing 100 and the cabinet 2170, or adefect in the aesthetic quality of the exterior of the cooking appliancemay occur.

To solve the problems, the cooking appliance in the embodiment may befurther provided with a cabinet fixing part. The cabinet fixing part maycouple the cabinet 2170 to the housing 100 while limiting thefront-to-rear position of the front surface covering part 2175. Thecabinet fixing part (as illustrated in FIGS. 76 to 79 ) may include afastening bracket 2060 and a fastening member 2070.

The fastening bracket 2060 may be coupled to the cabinet 2170. At leasta portion of the fastening bracket 2060 and the bottom surface of thehousing 100 may contact each other.

The fastening bracket 2060 may be coupled to the lower end extensionpart 2177 while passing through the lower end extension part 2177 in theup-down direction. The fastening bracket 2060 may include a fasteningsurface part 2161 and a fitting part 2162.

The fastening surface part 2161 may from a flat surface that contactsthe bottom surface 110 of the housing 100 in parallel. The fasteningsurface part 2161 may be coupled to the fastening member 2070 in thestate in which the fastening surface part 2161 and the bottom surface110 contact each other.

The fitting part 2162 may extend from the fastening surface part 2161.The fitting part 2162 may be fitted and coupled to the lower endextension part 2177 while passing through the lower end extension part2177, to fix the fastening surface part 2161 to the cabinet 2170.

In the embodiment, a first bracket fitting hole 2178 may be formed in away that penetrates in the up-down direction in the lower end extensionpart 2177. Additionally, the fitting part 2162 may extend toward thelower end extension part 2177 from the fastening surface part 2161. Forexample, the fitting part 2162 may be formed in a way that extends fromthe fastening surface part 2161 to form an approximate “L” shape alongwith the fastening surface part 2161. The fitting part 2161 may includea first fitting part 2162 a and a second fitting part 2162 b.

The first fitting part 2162 a may extend from the fastening surface part2161 in a parallel direction with the direction in which the firstbracket fitting hole 2178 penetrates. For example, the first fittingpart 2162 a may connect to the fastening surface part 2161 in a way thatthe first fitting part 2162 a is orthogonal to the fastening surfacepart 2161.

The second fitting part 2162 b may extend in a way that tilts in thefront-rear direction while extending upward from the first fitting part2162 a. For example, the second fitting part 2162 b may extend obliquelyin a direction between the upward direction and the rearward directionfrom the first fitting part 2162 a.

The second fitting part 2162 b may penetrate the lower end extensionpart 2177 through the first bracket fitting hole 2178 and protrude fromthe upper portion of the lower end extension part 2177. Thefront-to-rear length of an area of the upper portion of the lower endextension part 2177, being occupied by the second fitting part 2162 bprotruding from the upper portion of the lower end extension part 2177,may be greater than the front-to-rear length of the first bracketfitting hole 2178.

In other words, the front-to-rear position of the upper end of thesecond fitting part 2162 b protruding from the upper portion of thelower end extension part 2177 may be further rearward than the firstbracket fitting hole 2178 since the second fitting part 2162 b extendsobliquely in a direction between the upward direction and the rearwarddirection from the first fitting part 2162 a.

That is, the second fitting part 2162 b may extend obliquely in adirection between the upward direction and the rearward direction fromthe fitting part 2162 a, and pass through the lower end extension part2177 and protrude from the upper portion of the lower end extension part2177 through the first bracket fitting hole 2178. Additionally, theupper end of the second fitting part 2162 b protruding from the upperportion of the lower end extension part 2177 may be disposed furtherrearward than the first bracket fitting hole 2178.

In the embodiment, a maximum length of the first bracket fitting hole2178 is less than a minimum length of the fastening surface part 2161with respect to the lateral direction, and the length of the fittingpart 2162 may be the length of the first bracket fitting hole 2178 orless. Additionally, the length of the fitting part 2162 may be thelength of the first bracket fitting hole 2178 or less with respect tothe front-rear direction.

Accordingly, the fitting part 2162 may be inserted into the firstbracket fitting hole 2178, while the fastening surface part 2161 mayremain outside the first bracket fitting hole 2178.

Further, while the fitting part 2162 is fitted into the lower endextension part 2177 through the first bracket fitting hole 2178, thefront-to-rear position and the left-to-right position of the fasteningbracket 2060 may be regulated. To this end, the fitting part 2162,specifically, the first fitting part 2162 a, may be press-fitted to andengaged with the inner circumferential surface of the lower endextension part 2177 surrounding the first bracket fitting hole 2178.

For example, the front-to-rear length of the first fitting part 2162 amay correspond to the front-to-rear length of the first bracket fittinghole 2178, and the left-to-right length of the first fitting part 2161 amay correspond to the left-to-right length of the first bracket fittinghole 2178.

Further, the up-to-down position of the fastening bracket 2060 may beregulated in a way that the lower end extension part 2177 is fittedbetween the fastening surface part 2161 being disposed under the lowerend extension part 2177 and the second fitting part 2162 b protrudingfrom the upper portion of the lower end extension part 2177 through thefirst bracket fitting hole 2178.

To this end, the up-to-down length of the first fitting part 2162 a maycorrespond to a total of the up-to-down length of an area of the bottomsurface 110, being disposed between the lower end extension part 2177and the fastening surface part 2161, and the up-to-down length of thefastening surface part 2161. That is, with respect to the up-downdirection, the first fitting part 2162 a may have a length that is atotal of the lengths of the bottom surface 110 and the fastening surfacepart 2161.

In this case, the fastening surface part 2161 may interfere with thelower end of the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100, under the lowerend extension part 2177, and prevent an upward movement of the fasteningbracket 2060. Additionally, the second fitting part 2162 b, whichprotrudes obliquely in a direction between the upward direction and therearward direction from the upper portion of the lower end extensionpart 2177, may interfere with the lower end extension part 2177 or theupper end of the bottom surface 110 of the housing 100, and prevent adownward movement of the fastening bracket 2060.

Thus, the up-to-down position of the fastening bracket 2060 may beregulated in a way that the lower end extension part 2177 is fittedbetween the fastening surface part 2161 and the second fitting part 2162b. While the up-to-down position of the fastening bracket 2060 isregulated in this way, the fastening bracket 2060 may be fixed to thecabinet 2170.

That is, the fitting part 2162 is simply fitted into the lower endextension part 2177 through the first bracket fitting hole 2178, andthen the lower end extension part 2177 is simply fitted between thesecond fitting part 2162 b and the fastening surface part 2161, to fixthe fastening bracket 2060 to the cabinet 2170 easily and quickly.

In this case, the second fitting part 2162 b may bend in the directionin which the upper end of the second fitting part 2162 b becomes closerto the lower end extension part 2177, to fix the fastening bracket 2060to the cabinet 2170 more firmly.

Further, the lower end extension part 2177 may be disposed under thebottom surface 110, and a second bracket fitting hole 112 may bedisposed on the bottom surface 110. The second bracket fitting hole 112may be formed in a way that penetrates in the up-down direction on thebottom surface 110, and disposed in a way that communicates with thefirst bracket fitting hole 2178 in the up-down direction. The secondfitting part 2162 b may protrude from the upper portion of the bottomsurface 110 through the second bracket fitting hole 112.

That is, the second fitting part 2162 b may pass through the lower endextension part 2177 and the bottom surface 110 of through the firstbracket fitting hole 2178 and the second bracket fitting hole 112 andprotrude from the upper portions of the lower end extension part 2177and the bottom surface 110. Furthermore, the cabinet 2170 and thehousing 100 may be coupled temporarily by the fitting part 2162 thatpasses through the first bracket fitting hole 2178 and the secondbracket fitting hole 112 as described above.

Because of the temporary coupling between the cabinet 2170 and thehousing 100 by the fitting part 2162, a coupling position between thecabinet 2170 and the housing 100 may be guided, and the fastening may beperformed easily and efficiently using a fastening member 2070.

The fastening member 2070 may couple the fastening surface part 2161 tothe bottom surface 110 while passing through the fastening surface part2161 and the bottom surface 110 in the up-down direction, which contacteach other in the up-down direction. In the embodiment, the fasteningmember 2070 includes a bolt member, for example. Accordingly, the boltmember may be coupled to the fastening surface part 2161 and the bottomsurface 110 while passing through the fastening surface part 2161 andthe bottom surface 110 in the up-down direction.

In another example, the fastening member 2070 may further include a nutmember. The nut member may be coupled to the bolt member on the bottomsurface 110 and fix the bolt member onto the bottom surface 110. Thebolt member and the nut member may be screw-coupled.

In this case, the bolt member may protrude from the upper portion of thebottom surface 110 while passing through the fastening surface part 2161and the bottom surface 110 in the state in which the head of the boltmember is disposed under the fastening surface part 2161. The nut membermay be coupled to the bolt member on the bottom surface 110. That is,the nut member may be coupled to a portion of the bolt member,protruding from the upper portion of the bottom surface 110, and basedon the coupling between the bolt member and the nut member, thefastening bracket 2060 may be coupled to the bottom surface 110 of thehousing 100.

The fastening surface part 2161 may be coupled to the bottom surface 110by the fastening member 2070 that passes in the up-down directionthrough the fastening surface part 2161 and the bottom surface 110 whichcontact each other in the up-down direction. Based on theabove-described coupling between the fastening surface part 2161 and thebottom surface 110, the up-to-down position of the lower end extensionpart 2177 may be regulated relative to the bottom surface 110.

Additionally, based on the coupling between the fitting part 2162 andthe lower end extension part 2177, the front-to-rear position of thefront surface covering part 2175 may be regulated relative to the frontsurface of the housing 100.

That is, based on the coupling between the fastening surface part 2161and the bottom surface 110 by the fastening member 2070, the up-to-downposition of the cabinet 2170 installed in the housing 100 may beregulated. Additionally, based on the coupling between the fasteningbracket 2060 and the cabinet 2170 by the fitting part 2162 of thefastening bracket 2060, the front-to-rear position of the cabinet 2170installed in the housing 100 may be regulated.

In this case, the front surface covering part 2175 of the cabinet 2170may be coupled to the housing 100 in the state in which the frontsurface covering part 2175 is pulled rearward by the fastening bracket2060. Accordingly, the cabinet 2170 may be coupled to the housing 100 inthe state of closely contacting a front extension surface part 135 infront of the front extension surface part 135 of the housing 100.

As a result, as the coupling between the housing 100 and the cabinet2170 is completed, a gap between the housing 100 and the cabinet 2170may be narrowed, and tolerance in relation to the gap between thehousing 100 and the cabinet 2170 may be easily managed.

That is, since the front surface covering part 2175 of the cabinet 2170is coupled by the fastening bracket 2060 to the housing 100 in the stateof closely contacting the front extension surface part 135, in front ofthe front extension surface part 135 of the housing 100, the gap betweenthe housing 100 and the cabinet 2170 may be narrowed, and tolerance inrelation to the gap between the housing 100 and the cabinet 2170 may beeasily managed.

Accordingly, even when the lateral surface covering part 2173 or thefront surface covering part 2175 of the cabinet 2170 may be open to theoutside or the front side of the cabinet 2170 in the lateral directionthereof and then the cabinet 2170 is installed in the housing 100, thecabinet 2170 may closely contact the housing 100 effectively.

Thus, problems such as a scratch on the housing 100 due to the lower endextension part 2177, difficulty in installing the cabinet 2170,difficulty in managing tolerance in relation to the gap between thehousing 100 and the cabinet 2170, and a defect in the aesthetic qualityof the exterior of the cooking appliance may be prevented effectively.

That is, in the above-described structure for installing the cabinet2170, difficulty in installing the cabinet 2170 may be eased, and theaesthetic quality of the exterior of the cooking appliance may improve.

Since the front surface of the cabinet 2170 and the front surface of thehousing 100 contact each other closely as described above, air may beeffectively prevented from leaking through a gap between the frontsurface of the cabinet 2170 and the front surface of the housing 100.

In the embodiment, a third cooling fan 860 (see FIG. 56 ), a coolingchannel 850 (see FIG. 56 ), a cool air discharge part 125 (see FIG. 56 )and the like are disposed around the front extension surface part 135 ofthe housing 100 and the front surface covering part 2175 of the cabinet2170.

If the housing 100 and the cabinet 2170 are coupled in the state inwhich the front extension surface part 135 of the housing 100 and thefront surface covering part 2175 of the cabinet 2170 are spaced fromeach other, air is highly likely to leak through the gap between thefront surface of the cabinet 2170 and the front surface of the housing100.

When air leaks through the gap between the front surface of the cabinet2170 and the front surface of the housing 100, cool air may not beproperly discharged through the cool air discharge part 125. As aresult, heat and steam in the cooking space may not be dischargedproperly through the rear of the cooking appliance, or severely, heatand steam in the cooking space may leak through the gap between thefront surface of the cabinet 2170 and the front surface of the housing100.

Considering the fact, in the embodiment, the front surface covering part2175 of the cabinet 2170 may be coupled to the housing 100 by thefastening bracket 2060, in the state in which the front surface coveringpart 2175 of the cabinet 2170 closely contacts the front extensionsurface part 135 in front of the front extension surface part 135 of thehosing 100.

Thus, air may be blocked from leaking through the gap between the frontsurface of the cabinet 2170 and the front surface of the housing 100,and cool air may be effectively discharged through the cool airdischarge part 125.

The embodiments are described above with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof. However, the embodiments are providedonly as examples, and numerous other modifications and embodiments canbe devised by one skilled in the art, based on the above embodiments.Thus, the protection scope of the subject matter should be defined bythe appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   100: Housing    -   105: Cooking space    -   110: Bottom surface    -   120,130: Lateral surface    -   125: Second slot    -   135: Front extension surface part    -   140: Rear surface    -   150: Rear surface case    -   160: Insulating plate    -   170: Cabinet    -   171: Through hole    -   175: Intake and exhaust grill    -   180: Base    -   200: Tray    -   205: Tray main body    -   210: Mounting part    -   211: First protrusion    -   213: Second protrusion    -   214: Sliding surface    -   215: Mounting groove    -   220: Water receiving groove    -   230: Steam cover    -   300: Door    -   301: Air intake port    -   303: Air exhaust opening    -   305: Handle    -   305 a: Fitting projection    -   310: Door upper surface part    -   315: Space part    -   320: Door frame    -   320 a: Fastening hole    -   320 b: Hinge passing hole    -   320 c: First hinge coupling part    -   320 d: Second hinge coupling part    -   321: Coupling part    -   321 a: Connection hole    -   321 b: Third gasket fitting hole    -   322: Seating surface    -   323: First transverse supporter    -   324: Second transverse supporter    -   325: Heater mounting part    -   326: First connection end fixing part    -   327: Second connection end fixing part    -   328: Grill supporting part    -   328 a: Cover    -   328 b: Fixing rib    -   328 c: Passage hole    -   329: Connection end supporting member    -   329 a: Coil spring    -   329 b: First coupling part    -   329 c: Second coupling part    -   330, 335: Glass    -   340, 345: Cable mounting part    -   341, 346: Fastening boss    -   343: Connecting member    -   350: Door front surface part    -   360: First cooling fan    -   370: First cooling fan    -   371: First sealing body    -   372: First gasket hollow hole part    -   373: First sealing cover    -   374: First sealing projection    -   375: First support body    -   380: Second gasket    -   381: Second sealing body    -   382: Second gasket hollow hole part    -   383: Second sealing projection    -   385: Second support body    -   386: First protrusion support part    -   387: Second protrusion support part    -   390: Third gasket    -   391: Third sealing body    -   392: Third gasket hollow hole part    -   393: Third sealing projection    -   395: Third support body    -   396: First protrusion support part    -   397: Second protrusion support part    -   300 a: Door main body part    -   310 a: First door main body part    -   310 a: First door main body part    -   312 b: Third gasket fitting hole    -   350 a: Second door main body part    -   351 a: Through hole    -   353 a: Fastening hole 2    -   350 b: Door rear surface cover    -   352 b: First gasket fitting hole    -   354 b: Second gasket fitting hole    -   400: First heating part    -   410: Heating element    -   420: First connection end    -   421: Cylinder-shaped part    -   422: Extension part    -   423: Step    -   425: Key-shaped part    -   430: Second connection end    -   440: Reflector    -   441: First reflector    -   445: Second reflector    -   450: Protective grill    -   500: First control board    -   501: Terminal    -   550: Supporting panel    -   550 a: First area    -   550 b: Second area    -   550 c: Coupling area    -   551: Main panel part    -   552: Rib    -   553: Lower portion supporting part    -   553 a: Body part    -   553 b: Protruding part    -   555: Lateral portion supporting part    -   557: Temperature sensor supporting part    -   557 a: Second lateral wall part    -   557 b: Second supporting surface part    -   557 c: Boss part    -   557 d: Hook    -   558: Cable fixing part    -   558 a: Body part    -   558 b: Protruding part    -   559: Cable supporting part    -   559 a: First projection    -   559 b: Second projection    -   560: Supporting projection    -   561: Guiding projection    -   561 a: Body part    -   561 b: Protruding part    -   562: Fastening hole    -   563: Fastening member    -   563 a: Body part    -   563 b: Head part    -   565: Touch panel supporting part    -   565 a: Protruding surface part    -   565 b: Protruding and supporting surface part    -   565 c: Protruding rib part    -   566: Packing member    -   567: Outer support projection    -   570: Communication module    -   580: Temperature sensor    -   581: Sensor main body    -   583: Flange    -   590: Bracket    -   591: First coupling part    -   591 a: Guiding hole    -   591 b: Fastening hole    -   593: Second coupling part    -   593 a: Fastening hole    -   593 b: Fitting hole    -   595: Connection part    -   600: Second heating part    -   610: Working coil    -   611: Coil installation base    -   613: Coil    -   615: Coil connection wiring    -   620: Receiver coil    -   621: Coil installation base    -   623: Coil    -   630: Electromagnetic shielding plate    -   640: Temperature measuring module    -   700: Second control board    -   730: Second cooling fan    -   735: Power source connecting part    -   740: Communication module    -   750: Rear surface supporting panel    -   750 a: First area    -   750 b: Second area    -   751: Main panel part    -   755: First protruding edge part    -   756: Hook    -   760: Rear surface cover    -   761: Main cover part    -   762: Vent hole    -   763: Fan installing hole    -   764: Cut part    -   765: Second protruding edge part    -   800: Hinge assembly    -   810: Hinge part    -   811: First hinge link    -   811 a: Second fastening hole    -   812: Second hinge link    -   813: Third hinge link    -   814: Fourth hinge link    -   820: Mounting projection    -   830: Hinge case    -   831: Channel inlet    -   833: Channel outlet    -   835: Discharge projection    -   840: Fan mounting part    -   850: Cooling channel    -   851: First section    -   853: Second section    -   860: Third cooling fan    -   1000: Manipulation device    -   1100: Shaft    -   1200: Encoder    -   1300: Knob    -   1310: Shaft coupling part    -   1311: Shaft coupling hole    -   1320: Skirt part    -   1321: Coupling groove    -   1330: Second connecting and supporting part    -   1340: Projection    -   1350: Knob cover    -   1360: Front surface part    -   1361: Penetrating part    -   1370: Lateral surface part    -   1600: Socket member    -   1610: Outer supporter    -   1611: Inserting groove    -   1620: Inner supporter    -   1630: First connecting and supporting part    -   1631: Flange-shaped part    -   1633: Rib-shaped part    -   1635: Skirt-shaped part    -   1640: Light passing hole    -   1650: First coupling part    -   1651: First protruding projection    -   1653: First coupling projection    -   1660: Second coupling part    -   1661: Second protruding projection    -   1663: Second coupling projection    -   1670: Third coupling part    -   1680: Magnetic member    -   1700: Light emitting member    -   1800: Front surface cover member    -   1810: Coupling boss    -   1900: Touch manipulation part    -   1910: Board    -   1920: Booster    -   2010: Bolt member    -   2015: Nut member    -   2060: Fastening bracket    -   2161: Fastening surface part    -   2062: Fitting part    -   2162 a: First fitting part    -   2162 b: Second fitting part    -   2070: Fastening member    -   2170: Cabinet    -   2171: Rear surface covering part    -   2172: First upper surface covering part    -   2173 Lateral surface covering part    -   2174: Second upper surface covering part    -   2175: Front surface covering part    -   2176: Second hinge passage hole    -   2177: Lower end extension part    -   2178: First bracket fitting part    -   2015: Nut member    -   2320: Door frame    -   2321: Hinge coupling part    -   2322: Coupling surface    -   2323: First fastening hole    -   2324: Fastening and guiding groove    -   W: See-through window    -   s: Sealing member

What claimed is:
 1. A cooking appliance, comprising: a housing having acooking space defined by a bottom surface, two lateral surfaces and arear surface of the housing, and having an open upper surface and anopen front surface; a door comprising a door upper surface part to coverthe open upper surface of the housing and a door front surface partconnected to a front side of the door upper surface part to cover theopen front surface of the housing, the door capable of swiveling about arear side of the door upper surface part to open and close the openupper surface and the open front surface of the housing; and a gasketpart disposed between the door and the housing to seal a gap between thedoor and the housing, wherein the gasket part comprises at least one ofa pair of first gaskets to seal between the door front surface part andfront sides of the two lateral surfaces of the housing, a second gasketto seal between the door front surface part and a front side of thebottom surface of the housing, and a pair of third gaskets to sealbetween the door upper surface part and upper sides of the two lateralsurfaces of the housing.
 2. The cooking appliance of claim 1, whereinthe at least one of the pair of first gaskets, the second gasket, andthe pair of third gaskets is disposed at the door.
 3. The cookingappliance of claim 2, wherein the pair of first gaskets and the secondgasket are disposed at the door front surface part, and the pair ofthird gaskets is disposed at the door upper surface part.
 4. The cookingappliance of claim 1, wherein the at least one of each first gasket, thesecond gasket, and each third gasket, comprises: a sealing body coupledto the door and at least a portion of the sealing body which passesthrough the door to protrude toward the housing; and a support bodywhich supports the sealing body from the door.
 5. The cooking applianceof claim 4, wherein a gasket hollow hole part is provided in the sealingbody and is formed in a way to protrude in the sealing body toward thehousing.
 6. The cooking appliance of claim 4, wherein one lateralsurface of the sealing body, facing the housing, is rounded andprotrudes toward the housing.
 7. The cooking appliance of claim 4,wherein each first gasket comprises: a first sealing body passingthrough a rear surface of the door front surface part in a front-reardirection while coupled to the rear surface of the door front surfacepart; and a first support body supporting the first sealing body in thedoor front surface part, wherein the first sealing body is disposed toface one lateral surface of the two lateral surfaces of the housing. 8.The cooking appliance of claim 7, comprising: a door main body partforming an exterior of the door front surface part and having a spacewith an open rear therein; and a door rear surface cover covering theopen rear of the door main body part and coupled to the door main bodypart, wherein the first sealing body is coupled to the door rear surfacecover and passes through the door rear surface cover.
 9. The cookingappliance of claim 8, wherein the first gasket comprises a first sealingprojection protruding from the first sealing body, and the first sealingprojection contacts the door rear surface cover outside the door whileforming a flat surface parallel with the door rear surface cover. 10.The cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the cooking appliance furthercomprises a supporting panel disposed at the door front surface part,the supporting panel disposed between a front surface of the door mainbody part and the door rear surface cover, and the first support body isdisposed between the door rear surface cover and the supporting panel.11. The cooking appliance of claim 10, wherein the first support bodyand the door front surface part are coupled while the first support bodyis fitted between the door rear surface cover and the supporting panel.12. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the second gasketcomprises: a second sealing body passing through a rear surface of thedoor front surface part in a front-rear direction while coupled to therear surface of the door front surface part; and a second support bodysupporting the second sealing body in the door front surface part,wherein the second sealing body is disposed to face the bottom surfaceof the housing.
 13. The cooking appliance of claim 12, comprising: adoor main body part forming an exterior of the door front surface partand having a space with an open rear therein; and a door rear surfacecover covering the open rear of the door main body part and coupled tothe door main body part, wherein the second sealing body is coupled tothe door rear surface cover and passes through the door rear surfacecover.
 14. The cooking appliance of claim 13, wherein the second gasketcomprises a second sealing projection protruding from the second sealingbody, and the second sealing projection protrudes in a paralleldirection with respect to the door rear surface cover with a flatsurface being formed by the door rear surface cover.
 15. The cookingappliance of claim 13, wherein the second support body comprises: afirst protrusion support part that protrudes in a parallel directionwith respect to the door rear surface cover with a flat surface beingformed by the door rear surface cover; and a second protrusion supportpart that protrudes in a direction different from the direction in whichthe first protrusion support part protrudes while protruding in theparallel direction with the first protrusion support part, wherein thesecond sealing body is disposed between the first protrusion supportpart and the second protrusion support part.
 16. The cooking applianceof claim 1, wherein each third gasket comprises: a third sealing bodycoupled to a bottom surface of the door upper surface part or a doorframe and passes through the bottom surface of the door upper surfacepart or the door frame coupled to a lower portion of the door uppersurface part in a front-rear direction; and a third support body thatsupports the third sealing body in the door upper surface part, whereinthe third sealing body is disposed to face one lateral surface of thetwo lateral surfaces of the housing.
 17. The cooking appliance of claim16, comprising: a door main body part forming an exterior of the doorupper surface part and having a space with an open lower portiontherein; and the door frame covering the open lower portion of the doormain body part and coupled to the door main body part, wherein the thirdsealing body is coupled to the door frame and passes through the doorframe.
 18. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the second gasketis disposed between the pair of first gaskets, and the second gasket andthe pair of first gaskets are arranged in a way that the second gasketand the pair of first gaskets connect in a “U” shape.
 19. The cookingappliance of claim 18, wherein each of the pair of first gasketscomprises a straight line shape that extends in an up-down direction,the second gasket comprises a straight line shape that extends in aleft-right direction, and the pair of third gaskets comprises a straightline shape that extends in a front-rear direction.